Where I Belong
by Royal Kitsune
Summary: When the last of the Ryu-Inu meets the last of the full-blooded Inu, she discovers her true identity and destiny, but their personalities instantly clash. Will the two be able to work together to restore their clans, or destroy each other in the process?
1. Prelude

**Ok y'all I know this looks familiar, this is my third try at this story. I've finally settled down in school, and all the personal drama that's been going on. So I'm retrying this once again, but this time I promise to try my hardest to stay up-to-date on this story. If needed, I'll give y'all my email so you can bug me to update. **

**So here it is the return of 'Where Do I Belong'. Hope y'all enjoy, and I'm gonna stick to my previous attempts. I'll update at least once every week, and the more reviews I get, the more motivated I am to update sooner.**

**Enjoy! ^^  
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><p><strong>~Prelude~<strong>

'_Keep going princess. I will hold off the enemy so you can hide the child.' A series of barks and growls translated to the female running beside a large beast, whose red eyes glowed with the light of battle._

"_There are too many, you will surely die." They both came to a stop as the female spoke and placed her left hand on the beast's side, caressing the area where fur turned to scales._

'_Do not worry about me. As your guardian it is my duty to protect you, even at the cost of my life.' The beast growled, its eyes surveying the surroundings. His eyes returned to rest on the female as he continued, 'It is what I was born and trained for. I shall not fail another of my masters'._

_The female frowned, her disagreement clear in her features. The beast leveled her with a stare, his red eyes meeting her violet ones. "I will take the child to where I was told to, and then I shall return. We'll have one last battle together, just like old times." She said, looking from the beast to the bundle in her right hand._

_She held a small child that looked like her in so many ways. They shared silver hair that glowed in the moonlight like strands of silk. Tiny violet eyes looked up to her larger ones. Their facial markings were identical in shape and color. They only difference being the child's lack of a mokomoko. Instead the child had a light purple, bushy, canine tail that was wrapped firmly around the child's waist._

_The beast seemed to consider her words before, what looked to be, a grin spread on its' face. 'Stubborn as always, so I guess I'll have to agree. Go hide the child and I will leave a few for you to fight.' It barked, turning back in the direction they had come from. Scaly wings unfolded from the creature's back and it took to the skies, headed back to the thick of the battle._

_The female watched the beast fly off, and then turned towards where they had originally been going. She took off, a blur between the trees. The feeling she had previously had, of being pursued, was now gone. It seemed her companion had done well to stall the enemy. She glanced down at the child who seemed too preoccupied with its tail to be concerned with anything else. The female smiled, holding the child closer to her chest. She broke through the tree line and came to a stop in front of a wooden well._

"_Ok, little one, this may hurt a bit. I'm sorry." The pain in the female's voice was evident. She used her free hand to remove an object from her kimono. In her hand she held a small amulet. The amulet had a silver paw with a golden dragon in the middle. She pulled the blanket down to reveal the child's neck and upper chest. The female placed the amulet against the infant's chest, closed her eyes and pressed down. She began chanting quietly, carefully adding more pressure as she chanted. The wind picked up around the two as the female chanted. As her chant came to an end, she opened her eyes and removed her hand._

_The amulet continued to press down against the child, slowly sinking into the child's flesh. The infant began to cry out, causing the female to draw the child close again. The child's silver hair began dulling until it was a light brown color. Her eyes, though closed, faded from violet to dark green. The furry tail drew into the child's lower back and vanished, and the tiny fangs and claws dulled to regular teeth and nails. As the child's transformation completed, the amulet was completely drawn into the infant's body. The child's cries grew, sensing, but not understanding, its' loss._

"_My precious daughter, it saddens me to see you like this, and even more to know that I will not be able to watch you grown as a mother should." The female said, trying to sooth the infant. She brought the child over to a tree she had been told was called 'The Tree of Ages' and could withstand anything. She removed an item from her back and placed it against the tree. As with the amulet and child, the object began to sink into the tree. "There will be a time when you will return here to claim what is yours, little one. I do not know where this well shall take you, but you must remember to return." The female told the crying infant, as she walked back to the well._

_The child's crying lessened until it was just small whimpers of discomfort, and the child's tiny hands clutched against its' mother's mokomoko. The female brought the infant up and placed a kiss on the child's forehead. The female carried the child over and sat on the edge of the well. _

"_Remember my child, one day you must return and avenge your clan. You are the last of the Ryu-Inu clan. Remember that Misaki." The female said, dropping the infant down the well and watching the blue light surround the child. When the light faded the child was gone._

_With tears in her eyes, the female turned, silhouetted by the moonlight. Her shadowy outline warped until that of a large beast, similar to the female's companion stood where she had once been. This beast was silver, with scales the color of flames. She took off, in the skies, towards the battle her companion had already flown to' a roar filled with rage and remorse rose from the creatures as she flew away._


	2. A Tear in the Fabric

**Alright everyone I know I said I would update weekly(sooner if I get enough reviews). But for now I have a few chapters already written. Also it is Friday where I am, so I want to make Friday's my deadline. It's a lot easier than the middle of the week for me.**

**So here is the 1st Chapter of Where I Belong. Hope you liked the Prelude.**

**Remember the more reviews, the sooner I repost, and I already have a few pre-written.**

**Enjoy. ^^  
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><p><strong>~A Tear in the Fabric~<strong>

"Kazuko? Kazuko?" A girl yelled running down the hall towards the gym of the Kai High School. She came to a stop and fell as the gym door swung open and into the hallway. The girl looked up to see another student, female, in her late teens.

"Emi?" The girl from the door questioned, looking down to see the girl on the floor. "Emi, what are you doing on this side of school?" She asked then tilted her head to the side as if just coming to some sort of realization. "Also, why are you on the floor?" She offered her hand to the one named Emi.

"I was sent to get you, Kazuko." Emi said taking the hand and getting up. "The principal wanted me to bring you to his office." She said, brushing her uniform off. Like the rest of the girls in the school, she wore a dark blue skirt, a white short-sleeve shirt, and a dark blue, button-up, long-sleeved jacket.

"Really? Did he say why?" The one called Kazuko asked, her head tilting slightly to the side once again.

"No, but he said to come immediately, so it must be important." Emi said, walking down the hall back towards the office she had come from. "Better not keep him waiting." She called over her shoulder.

Kazuko nodded, coming to walking beside Emi. She wore the girls' gym outfit, being the white uniform shirt and a pair of dark blue shorts. She stood taller than Emi, by a few inches, making Kazuko around 5' 8". The way her hair and eyes reflected in the fluorescent school lighting did it no justice. The sun was much more appropriate lighting for her light brown hair, and the sun allowed her eyes to glow the forest green they truly were.

"Hey, Kazuko, do you want to come by my house after school? We can study for the Chemistry final. My mom will even make dinner, if it's ok with your parents." Emi said having to crane her neck a bit to look up at her friend.

"Sure. Since this is the last period of the day, school will probably be out by the time I get out of the principal's office. I can give you a ride to your house and we can study. I'm sure my parents won't mind. I'll just call them when I get to your house and leave a message." Kazuko said smiling down at her friend.

"Great! I'll meet you in the parking lot. Once we pass the Chemistry final, we'll be completely cleared to graduate." Emi said, with a wide smile and put her arms behind her head. Her smile widened as a thought came to her. "When we finish studying, let's go over college brochures."

Kazuko nodded and laughed. "That'll be great, not that you need to. With your grades, you'll have colleges begging you to go to them."

"You're grades are great too. At least you stayed in the top five percent." Emi said, patting her friend on the back. They came to a stop in front of the door marked 'Principal'. "Well, catch you later, Kazuko." Emi said, walking off to her next assignment as an office aid.

~Kazuko's POV~

I watched Emi's retreating form, heading deeper down the hallway and out of sight. We have been friends since we shared a room at the orphanage. Her parents had died in a home robbery gone very wrong when she was three; and my parents…

I don't know what I happened to my birth parents. A lady named Mrs. Higurashi brought me to the orphanage as an infant and told them someone had lost me at her family shrine. When I was younger everyone would just say that I had been lost. They would reassure me that eventually they would come back and find me. Back then I had believed them, but as I grew I understood that they were simply trying to tiptoe around the true word that described me: abandoned. When that realization had hit, I began to withdraw from others. I probably would have completely sunken into myself if it hadn't been for Emi.

When Emi came to the orphanage three after I had, we instantly bonded. We've been best friends ever since. Luckily for us, a year after she was adopted, the couple down the street from her new family adopted me. The couple was unable to have children of their own, and wanted someone to share their love with.

A smiled formed as I thought about our friendship, but a dry cough by the principal's receptionist reminded me of the task at hand. I straightened out my gym clothes the best I could before placing a gentle knock against the oak wood of the principal's door.

"Come in." The well known voice of the principal called through the door.

As I walked in, I realized something that I found amusing. In the three years I had been at this school, I had never seen the principal in person. The morning announcements were done over a speaker system, and the assemblies were done by live streaming video. Now that I thought about it, I don't think many students had actually seen the principal in person. He showed up to graduations, but by then those students didn't return to the school.

"Principal Hiroshi," I greeted with a slight bow of my head. "Emi said you wanted to speak to me." I said, opening the door and stepping inside.

Principal Hiroshi was short. It may sound mean, but that was the first thing I noticed. On the video screen during the assemblies, he had seemed like a towering man. Yet now, standing in the room, I realized he had to be less than five feet tall. Considering my height, I couldn't help but notice. He had graying black hair and a clean shaven face. His glasses glinted in the artificial light as he turned from the bookshelf he was standing at.

"Yes, Ms. Kazuko, please take a seat." He said, motioning towards the chair in front of his desk. I took a seat in the chair and crossed my legs, as he also took his seat, waiting for him to continue. "Ms. Kazuko, I wish I could have called you down here under better circumstances, but I'm sorry the reason I have called you is not a pleasant one." He started, looking down at an envelope on his desk, never once making eye contact with me. "The hospital called…you're parents were in a car accident." As he spoke, I felt my stomach tightening. "They were both pronounced dead at the scene of the crash."

Anything he may have said after that went unheard. My vision blurred with the salty tears now dripping from my eyes. I could feel the trembles of sadness and disbelief running through my body.

How could this have happened?

This isn't the sort of news anyone ever wanted to get.

"Mrs. Kazuko?" Principal Hiroshi asked, speaking a bit louder and leaning forward to get my attention. "Your father managed to give the paramedics this envelope before he passed." He said, handing me a large, manila envelope that seemed to be packed with papers. "Your father said that it was important you received this."

I looked at the manila envelope that had the words 'Kazuko Mara' on the front.

"Do you need to find a way home? I can call someone to pick you up." The principal asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

"No, I have a car." I said my words heavy with the emotional pain I was feeling. "Thank you, Mr. Hiroshi. I am going to leave now." I stood and gave a slight bow, then left his office. I kept the envelope tucked under my arm as I headed back to the gym to collect my things.

The next few hours passed in a dream-like state.

I took Emi home and told her the news on the way there. She offered me to stay with her family. I told her I would think about it, but for now I had to go to the hospital to confirm the identity of my parents at the morgue.

I headed to the morgue and did as I had told Emi I would. Again my body trembled and the tears robbed me of my vision at seeing my parents so cold and stiff. The nurse told me that they would keep the bodies until I could make proper funeral arrangements. I thanked her and headed back to my house. I couldn't bring myself to call it home, knowing the two that made it a home would never step inside of it again.

As I walked into the house and headed into the kitchen, my body felt numb, as if I were no longer controlling it, but standing by as someone else did.

I placed the envelope on the counter. I went through the usual routine I did after school. I made a quick meal and ate. I took a bath and dressed in a pair of red shorts and a black bra, putting no other covering on my upper body right away. I looked at myself in my mirror, specifically the paw shaped birth mark. It rested right on my breast bone and was normally covered by my clothing. I never knew why, but I always felt that there was more to my birth mark. For as long as I could remember, something always made me feel as if it was more. Sighing, I realized I had more important things to get to than worrying over a silly mark. I finally put on a white t-shirt and headed back downstairs.

On the kitchen counter laid the envelope that was all I had left of my parents. Being a high school senior, I got out a school at noon, and thus it was only three o'clock.

I took a seat on a stool and picked up the envelope. Part of me felt like if I didn't open it, maybe my parents might walk in like normal; and the past few hours will have just been a dream. But I knew it wasn't to be. Instead I tore off the top and began going over the contents of the envelope.

The first page was a simple printer page and only had one sentence on it. 'This envelope contains information to be released to Kazuko Mara in case of the death of Chiyo and Riku Mara'. I placed the front page aside and went through the others. Most of it was the funeral arrangements to be made, bank account information, titles to houses and cars, and a list of family to call.

I immediately did everything that was instructed: made the arrangements and had the accounts and titles transferred into my name. Once all that had been done, it was beginning to get dark. One last thing remained in the envelope, another smaller envelope.

It was a regular sized, white envelope. On this envelope it said 'To our daughter, Kazuko'. More tears stained my eyes as I recognized my mother's hand writing. Up until now, everything else had been typed, so seeing her hand writing brought another wave of grief crashing over me.

I opened the smaller envelope and pulled out the paper inside. It was a letter, written completely in my mother's handwriting.

_Dear Kazuko,_

_If you have received this letter, then unfortunately something terrible has happened. I hope that you are old enough to understand everything that has been placed in these papers. If you are not old enough, please call my brother to help you make the arrangements, and please make sure that you go stay with him and his family. It would pain us both to have you taken back to that orphanage._

_But let's not dwell on the negatives here, as I am sure you are feeling enough sadness. _

_Your father and I wanted to have some sort of humanity in this letter and the information in it, which is why I wrote this by hand instead of typing it._

_As you know, Riku and I are not your biological parents. I won't use the terms 'real' or 'fake' because to us, you are, and always will be, our real daughter._

_We wish we had information to give you on your biological parents, but sadly we don't have any. As you may already know, you were found on the Higurashi Shrine. Mrs. Higurashi brought you to the orphanage we adopted you from. The only thing found with you was the blanket you were wrapped in, which we have kept in a box blue box under our bed. Maybe Mrs. Higurashi has some more information, for you sake we hope she does. _

_We just want you to know we love you, and always will. We hope that one day you can find the answers to your heritage._

_-Love Riku and Chiyo, _

_-Love your parents_

By the time I finished reading, the letter was covered in wet spots. Also in the small envelope, were two pictures. One from the day they adopted me, when I was four; and the other was from my junior high graduation. A sad smile spread on my face as I looked at the pictures and our smiling faces.

I tucked the letter and pictures back in the smaller envelope and headed to my room. I tucked the letter under my pillow as I turned out the lights to go to bed. I knew it was futile to think I would sleep, but I couldn't think of anything else to do.

The past month has been very tiresome. It was filled with none stop action, and not the good kind.

The first week of the month: It was filled with my parents' funeral and dealing with family flying in to attend. As well as the fresh waves of grief that every sympathy card, hug and word brought.

The second week of the month: It was 'College Week', where they give the seniors a week off to make their final decisions about where they wish to attend. Generously, Emi's family let me travel with them to tour the campuses. It was a fun distraction to help lift my spirits.

The third week of the month: It was finals week. I only had one final, which was enough. Science had never been my strong point in school, and Chemistry was no exception. The test was on Friday so I spent the week constantly studying.

The final week of the month: Graduation week. I doubt I need to go into too much detail to explain how much stress graduation week was.

Now it was all behind me. I was now an official adult with the choice to pursue higher learning or begin my independent life. Truthfully I began my independent life a little over a month ago.

So now I was driving home after placing my college intention letter in the mail to the Japanese School of Business and Administration. They had accepted me and it was the one I wanted to attend. I had on a pair of black shorts that came down to just above my knees and a v-neck red shirt that was cut short enough so that my belly button was still visible. As I drove, I saw a sign reading 'Historic Higurashi Shrine'.

I had seen the sign so many times and yet never thought twice about heading towards the shrine. I had always felt that with my parents being the way they were, I had no need to know about the ones who abandoned me. But ever since the letter I knew that it was what my parents would have wanted for me. So I turned to follow the sign towards the shrine. I parked at the bottom of the steps, in a spot that I am not sure was legal, and got out.

"Do you think they have enough stairs?" I joked to myself and began to ascend the stairs. Once I reached the top of the steps I looked around to figure out which of the buildings I should seek help from. As my eyes rested on a smaller building, almost shack-like, I instantly felt a burning sensation coming from my chest. It felt as if part of me was being ripped towards the shack. The pain caused me to close my eyes, and as soon as the shed was out of sight the pain subsided.

"Strange." I mumbled, straightening up and looking towards the main house.

I saw two females and an older male heading into the house. The old man stopped as he noticed me, and the other two turned as they saw him turning towards me.

"Hello! Welcome to the Higurashi Shrine!" The old man yelled, waving me over.

"Hi, I was looking for Mrs. Higurashi." I said, waving back and walking over to them.

"My mom?" The younger female asked. I could tell from her uniform that she went to the local middle school, making her around three or four years younger than me.

I nodded at her, then turned to the older female. "Are you Mrs. Higurashi?" I asked, tilting my head to the side slightly.

"Yes I am. How may I help y…" The older female's voice trailed off and I saw her eyes drifted down to my chest. "That mark." She said quietly, stepping a bit closer to me. "You are…Kazuko, right? The child I found in the well house nineteen years ago."

I heard the other two gasp, and my eyes widened. All I could do was nod at first. It took a few seconds to compose myself. I hadn't figured that she would remember me.

"Yes, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." I said, still shocked at how she had figured that.

"Then please, come in and join us. We were just about to have dinner when my son Sota got home. You are welcome to join us for dinner, and then we can talk." Mrs. Higurashi said, leading me into the house.


	3. Who am I

**Ok I know I said I would wait to release a chapter per week. But call me corny or nerdy, but I want to share my work. I've put over a year's work into this story, so I really want to see what y'all think. Now of course, y'all gotta review for me to know, but I'll leave that up to you guys.**

**Anyway here is the next chapter, hope you like it.**

**Oh and regular disclaimers apply. I don't own the Inuyasha cast nor the ideas presented in the show. I only claim my characters and my ideas that I put forth.  
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**Enjoy. ^^**

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><p><strong>~Who Am I~<strong>

"_What is this?" A female asked, her violet eyes looking up to the cloaked figure._

"_It is a shard of glass enchanted by the Shikon Jewel, it will help the child hide in the Bone-Eater's Well." The figure responded giving the pink shard to the female._

"_But how ever did you manage to take a shard from the jewel?" The female asked, looking at the dimly glowing shard in her palm._

"_It is not an actually piece of the jewel, merely a piece of glass that has been affected by it. It would take one of strong spiritually powers to shatter the jewel." The cloaked figure shook its' head knowing that they were straying from the important task at hand. "We must ensure the safety of the child, princess. The destruction of our clan is too great a tragedy to not be corrected; one must survive to avenge us." The cloaked figure added, looking down at the infant the female held._

"_Where does the Bone-Eater's Well lead to?" The princess asked, still seeming unsure about the shard she now held. _

"_No one knows for sure, but it is the only option we have. We must have faith that this plan will work." The cloaked figure said, resting a hand on the female's shoulder. "Now take Masaru with you and head east. There you will find the well and a tree known as the Tree of Ages. Give the child the shard and place her in the well. There is no more time for questions, you must go now." The cloaked one said, urging forward a beast that had the appearance of a wolf and a dragon._

_The cloaked figure watched as the woman took the child and began running in the direction he had indicated. "Keep them safe, Masaru." He said to the creature, and watched as the beast took off after the female._

~**XxX**~

Dinner with the Higurashis was pleasant and interesting. The old man kept trying to get me interested in his feudal fairy-tales. I listed politely, but inwardly brushed them off. He was quite old, and it wasn't uncommon for one of his age to confuse fiction with reality.

"It's the truth, I tell you." It appears the old man must have realized that I didn't believe him. "Ask Kagome, she'll tell you." He added pointing a wrinkled finger at the younger female.

I turned my head slightly towards the girl. She was quick to raise her hands in an unarming way and shake her head.

"Gramps is just telling his stories again. I used to believe in them when I was young." She said her smile slightly nervous.

I smiled back and nodded. "My parents used to tell me similar stories when I was a child."

"If you don't mind me asking, I thought you were found abandoned on our shrine." Kagome questioned her voice hesitant.

"Yes I was. I lived at the orphanage before I was adopted." I responded. When I was younger, I would become enraged when someone would bring the subject up. But, I was used to it now, and took it with a smile.

"I would say it is safe to assume, that is why you are here." Mrs. Higurashi said as she cleared the dishes from the table.

"Yes that is why I have come." I said, as a thought came back to me. "Though, I would like to ask you something." She turned towards me from where she was rinsing the dishes. "How were you able to recognize me so easily?" It had been on my mind throughout the meal, but I had wanted to wait till an appropriate time to ask.

"That mark on your chest." She answered, as she finished and came back to sit at the table. "When I found you, it was the first thing I noticed." She said then seemed to think. "Actually on that day, it seemed to be glowing, but that was probably just a trick of the moonlight." She said, her eyes having a faraway look. I guess she was thinking back to that night. "It is an interesting birthmark. I have never seen one like it before."

"My parents said the same." I commented with a small smile. Even though I would love to reminisce about my parents, I wanted to get to the point; and I still wasn't quite ready to deal that that. So far I had been simply suppressing it when the feelings started to surface. "Do you remember anything else about that night? My parents are now deceased, and left me a letter saying you might be able to help me figure out more about my heritage." I could see the looks of pity that sprung into their eyes. They were the same looks that had been following me for over a month.

"I am so sorry to hear that, Kazuko." Mrs. Higurashi said after a slight delay.

"It's ok. I like to think that I am dealing with it well." That's what I always told anyone that asked, but I'm not sure how true the statement is. "But, do you have any more information on that night?"

"I wish I did dear, I really wish I did." Mrs. Higurashi said, placing her hand on my mine briefly. "The only thing I remember was hearing you crying. At first I had thought it was a trick of the wind. But then you continued to cry, so I walked outside to check. I followed the sound of your voice into the well house, and there you were, lying at the bottom of the well. You were wrapped in a blanket made of material I still haven't been able to identify. I brought you into the house, and then went back outside to check if there were any more clues to how you got there. I wasn't able to check long, because I didn't want to leave you alone for too long. For the next week, my father and I checked all the missing reports, to see if you were a missing child. There were no reports matching your description, so we took you to the orphanage. I told them the whole story and they took you in." She paused in her story, looking as if she wanted to say more.

"Is there more?" I asked, wanting to know anything she knew about it.

"They asked if you had a name. You had not had anything with a name on it. You were dressed in a strange outfit, almost like a traditional baby kimono from the feudal era. The blanket had also had a strange symbol on it, almost like your birth mark, but no name. I knew if I didn't tell them a name, they would wait till someone adopted you and the new parents picked a name. I couldn't bear the thought of you growing up without a name. So I told them Kazuko, because you seemed like such a peaceful child."

"I didn't even have a name?" I whispered quietly, looking down at the table.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mrs. Higurashi nod. "That is all I can tell you. I don't have any more information." She said just as softly.

I looked back up with tears mixed with gratitude and sadness. It may have seemed like a small, maybe even trivial, piece of information; but I felt that even this information was worth something. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Higurashi." I said with a smile.

She also became teary eyed, and surprised me with a hug. "You are welcome. I'm just glad I could help."

"There is one last thing." I said, wiping my eyes with a tissue Kagome handed me. "Could I see the place where you found me, in the well house? I just want to know where I was found." Kagome and her mother gave each other a look I couldn't understand, and for a moment I thought I would be denied what I thought was a simple request.

"Yes, but it will have to be brief. We lock up soon." Kagome answered; though I got the feeling her answer wasn't completely true.

"Thank you, I don't plan on staying too long." We stood from the table, Mrs. Higurashi leading us out to the well house.

Once again, just from making eye contact with the well house the pain in my chest flared up again. The only difference being that I refused to give in and continued walking. The closer I got, the more intense the pain became and it even felt as if it were spreading. By the time they opened the well doors, my entire body felt like it was being electrocuted and burned at the same time.

'_I have to know, I just have to know'. _I thought forcing myself through the sliding door.

The moment I stepped in, everything went black.

**Kagome**

My mother had never told me about finding an infant in the well, so everything going on captured my immediate attention. I watched Kazuko out of the corner of my eyes the entire time, trying to be as discrete as I could. Something about her just didn't seem right. It was as if she radiated power, but the power was being suppressed. Yet that wasn't my biggest concern when it came to her.

There was one reason that had me watching closer. I had sensed the presence of the jewel shard. Kazuko had clutched her chest when I first felt it, but as soon as she turned from the well house to face us, the presence was gone again. When she asked to see the well I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. I was supposed to return today, so who knew when Inuyasha would show up to drag me back. At the same time, I didn't want to deny her what was probably the only lead to her real family.

As we walked to the well, I could feel the presence again. The closer we got to the well, the easier it was for me to pinpoint the location. By the time we reached the well, I knew it was coming from Kazuko and I looked out of the corner of my eye at her. I could see the glow of the jewel coming from her birthmark.

I turned to ask her a question, when she began to stumble with her eyes closed. "Kazuko?" I asked quietly, then noticed she had fainted and was falling fast. "Kazuko?" I rushed to kneel beside her and check and see if she was ok. She was breathing and her heart rate seemed fine, she was merely unconscious.

"Oh my. I'll go get some water and a towel." My mother said and ran into the house.

I noticed the glow of the jewel didn't go away this time. Instead it seemed to be pulsing in time with her heartbeat, which was slowly gaining speed. The only explanation I could think of was that the power of the jewel must have been too much for her to handle and must have been the reason she passed out. I had to get the jewel out and quickly.

I remembered Kaede saying that Kikyo had been able to call the jewel to her, maybe I could too. I didn't want to just cut the poor girl's chest open to get the jewel, so hopefully this could work.

"Ok, I have to focus." I verbally prepared myself. I wanted to make sure that I didn't hurt Kazuko in the process.

I placed my hands on top of her chest, palms facing down. I focused on the jewel and tried calling it to me. My hands glowed slightly and the jewel glowed along with them. Eventually I felt a tugging sensation, and I smiled knowing I had made a connection with the jewel. Now that I had connected with the jewel, all that was left was to pull it out.

"Kagome? What are you doing?" My mother said as she came over and kneeled beside me.

"Kazuko has a jewel shard in her chest. I'm pretty certain that it's the reason she passed out." I told her, as she placed a white towel on Kazuko's head.

I slowly began to move my hands up, and felt the jewel being tugged up with my hands. It seemed to be going fine till I looked at her birth mark. A circle was forming around the mark, and a small dragon appeared in the middle of the paw. As I looked closer, I realized that the mark was lifting from her chest. I pulled up some more, and that seemed to be her breaking point.

Kazuko's eyes shot open, but they were no longer the dark green from before. Her eyes were flashing from violet to red. Her mouth opened in a piercing scream of pain, that turned into menacing snarls. I'd never even heard Inuyasha snarl so fiercely. She began thrashing about, trying to grip her chest.

"Grab her hands, quickly." I said, looking over to my mother. I'm glad that she quickly grabbed Kazuko's hands, instead of asking questions. I saw gramps and Souta come out, likely from the sound of Kazuko's scream. "Souta! Hold down her legs! Gramps! Hold down her shoulders!" I ordered, not wanting my efforts to go to waste. Gramps and Souta did as I said which made it easier for me to continue drawing the jewel out.

Kazuko's birth mark was turning silver, and I finally realized that it was not a birthmark at all, but a pendant being pulled out of her body. My eyes flicked from the pendant to Kazuko, as I continued pulling it out.

Kazuko's hair was slowly becoming silver, starting at her head and running down her strands to the tip of her hair. As she continued to snarl, I could see her canine teeth elongating into fangs; and her finger nails were sharpening into claws. Markings that reminded me of Sesshomaru's appeared on her face, though she did not have a crescent on her forehead. A light violet tail began to form and grow beside her. And even though I couldn't see it, I would guess the tips of her ears were becoming pointed.

I wasn't sure how long I took pulling the jewel out, but it was dark by the time I finished. I could feel a sense of fatigue encasing my body and mind as I continued to pull the jewel and the pendant out. With a final, slightly hard, tug the pendant and jewel came shooting out from Kazuko's chest. As I pulled them out, a large blast of youkai almost had been falling over. I looked down into my palm at the two, then back at Kazuko.

She stopped thrashing when the two items had been pulled completely out. Now she laid there, her eyes a dark violet and staring up into the sky. Her mouth was slightly ajar still, her fangs glinting in the moonlight.

Gramps, my mom and Souta looked towards me as if to ask if they could release her.

"I think you can let her go now. The jewel has been removed, along with this pendant." I said, looking at her chest that was now clear of the birth mark. Everyone let go, and we stood back a few feet. Hesitantly she sat up and looked around at us.

~**Kazuko**~

The pain coursing through my body was the worst thing I had ever felt. I couldn't imagine anything more painful than what I was going through right now. It felt as if my body was being electrocuted to the bone, burned alive and dragged underwater. The pain increased so much that I literally felt my mind black out, even though my body continued to thrash in pain.

"_Remember my child, one day you must return and avenge your clan. You are the last of the Ryu-Inu clan. Remember that Misaki!" _

My eyes snapped open as those words drifted through my mind. The pain at large was gone, only a dull buzzing resonated through my body. I looked up to see a starry sky and realized I had been laying there for a good amount of time. I sat up and looked from Kagome to the rest of her family.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice a bit hoarse from my scream and those strange sounds that I had heard myself making.

"I took a jewel shard out of your chest. I think it has been sealing your demonic nature." Kagome said, as the rest of her family retreated to the house, giving me worried glances. They didn't seem as shocked about this as I did, just worried.

"Demonic nature?" I questioned, looking back at the girl.

"I think this will help." She said, retrieving a small compact mirror from her pocket.

I took it and gasped at what I saw looking back at me. For so many years I had gotten used to the appearance I had. Now there was a completely different person staring back at me. She had violet eyes and silver hair. This stranger had strange markings on her face; they were in the form of two slash marks on each cheek and black in color. This new female had a fangs and claws and seemed to just look more regal.

"What happened to me?" I asked again and looked up at Kagome, handing her back the mirror.

"You're a demon." She stated hesitantly, as if she wasn't sure if she could believe her own words. "I can sense your demonic aura now. I can't say for sure what kind of demon you are, but I think that I may know someone who can tell." Kagome said standing up.

"Who is that?" I asked, standing up as well. I couldn't fully explain it, but I felt as if my body was now more powerful than I would have ever dreamed it could be. I could literally fell my body flooding with power, that was foreign yet somehow felt natural.

"A friend of mine, he's a half-demon. His name is Inu…" She didn't get to finish her statement.

"Look out Kagome, I'll protect you!" A male voice called from behind me. I turned in time to see a male, clad in a red outfit running towards me. He had a freakishly large sword raised above his head, and I could safely assume that he was about to attack me.

My body moved on instinct, and I jumped out of the way just as his sword came down where I had been standing less than a second ago. I landed on top of the well house in a crouch.

'_Wow, how did I do that.'_ I thought looking down at my body, poised as if this was the most natural thing in the word.

I didn't have long to think on this, as the male came charging at me again. _'I need something to defend with.'_ My mind shot to me.

**The Tree of Ages!** A voice yelled at me, though it seemed to be coming from inside of my head. I looked around, wondering what this 'Tree of Ages' was. My eyes landed on the large tree with a sort of rope tied around it.

**There!** The voice yelled into my head again.

I leaped over to the tree, again narrowly avoiding an attack from the male. I landed in front of the tree and stood up straight. I wasn't exactly sure what to do, till the voice spoke again.

**Place your had on the tree! **It said, and I did as instructed. The moment I touched the tree I could see something inside calling me. I closed my eyes to focus on whatever was inside and tried to call it to me.

"This time I'll get you for sure!" The male in red yelled, and I could hear him charging at me again.

I didn't focus on him; instead I continued to focus on the tree. I felt something solid press against the palm of my hand, and opened my eyes. I could see what looked to be a smooth black pole tip sticking out from the tree. I grasped the pole and pulled.

As I pulled an entire staff came out of the tree, and I was able to block the male's attack just in time. I held the bow staff in both hands and above my head, the male's sword came down on it. I was surprised to see how easily it stopped the blade.

"Why are you attacking me?" I finally shouted to the male. I pushed against the male's sword, and he went flying across the clearing and into another tree.

The male got up with a groan and again charged at me. "I will not let you have the jewel or hurt Kagome!" He growled, charging at me again.

"I don't want to hurt Kagome." I said, hissing slightly as he landed a cut to my left arm. "And I don't even know what the jewel is." I added, jumping over another swing of his sword. I was truly beginning to become annoyed with this male.

I again felt a rush of power and instinct rush through me as I charged the male. I raised the staff above my head and brought it down on the male's shoulder. His entire body tensed up and he screamed in pain. I couldn't figure how one hit with a staff could hurt that much, but he slumped to the ground in pain. His sword changed so that it looked normal size and old.

"What did you do?" He snarled, though it appeared he couldn't get up. "My body feels like I've been struck by lightning."

"You attacked me!" I huffed, but went over to check on him anyway. He did look like he had been hit with a large amount of electricity. His hair was sticking out wildly.

Kagome, who had been frozen in shock until now, came running over. "Inuyasha are you ok?" She asked, kneeling next to the name.

He gave her a mumbled sound, but nodded his head.

"Kazuko, this is my friend I was talking about. His name is Inuyasha, he's a half demon." She said, helping him sit up.

"Who is the wrench?" He grumbled, pointing towards me.

I growled at him. _'Wait, I just growled.'_ I thought, but pushed it aside as I looked at him. "My name is Kazuko and you better use it. I'm not sure how I just beat you, but I will do it again." I said, and he seemed to take my words seriously.

"Glad to see you two getting along." Kagome said with a nervous laugh. "Inuyasha, this is Kazuko. She was found in the well as a baby. She came back to learn more about where she came from." Kagome said, helping the male stand up.

"Yea so? It doesn't explain why she's a demon and here. I thought there weren't any demons in your time." Inuyasha said, brushing her off and sheathing his sword.

"I'm not sure, I was just about to tell Kazuko that I think she may be from your time." Kagome seemed to think deeply about her words before she said them.

"His time? What do you mean, his time?" I asked, looking between the two of them.

"He's from five hundred years in the past, the feudal era." Kagome answered, looking unsure if I would believe her.

I wasn't sure what to say. What could someone say when being drowned in so much information? First I find out that I'm a demon, and now I may not even be from this time period. What next, was I going to be told I have to save the world?

"Let's humor this, and say that I am from five hundred years in the past." I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at the thought. "How would I have gotten here, and how would I get back?" I questioned, putting a hand on my hip and using the other to hold the staff beside me. They seemed to be deciding the best answer, so I took that time to look at the staff.

It was a nice staff and study. It had to be around six feet, seeing as it stopped just above my head. It was black and felt as if it was made of steel, yet I somehow knew it was made of wood with a layer of black steel surrounding it. There was an interesting design on it. On one end there was a multi-colored dragon winding around it, and on the other end there was a silver dog doing the same.

"The Bone Eater's Well would be the only way." Kagome said, bringing my attention back to her and Inuyasha. "Me and Inuyasha use it to travel between my time and his. I would assume you were brought through as a child." She said, still watching me carefully as one would watch a wild animal.

"So if I go through this well, I can go back in time and maybe find my biological parents?" Normally I would have laughed it off as crazy, but I couldn't deny the facts. I was now a completely different person with a different look. There was a man with dog ears and silver hair standing in front of me, and Kagome had pulled a glowing shard and pendant out of my chest.

"Yes, that seems to be it. I'm actually going back today, so you can come with me." The girl said, looking over at the half demon that seemed very annoyed. "Can you two keep from fighting while I go get my bag?" She added and dashed into the house.

"You smell like a dog demon, but it's mixed with something else." Inuyasha mumbled, still watching me as if I would attack.

"Do I?" I asked, before noticing his look. "Stop looking at me like that. You attacked me, I only defending myself." I snorted, my grip on the staff tightening. "Anyway, do you know what the 'something else' is?" I asked, running my free hand through my now silver hair, then going to the fluffy, light violet tail that was swaying behind me.

"I can't be sure. I've smelled it before, but I can't remember where right now." Inuyasha said, then began grumbling to himself.

Before I could get any more out of him, Kagome returned with a slightly over sized, yellow backpack.

"Ok, so let's go." She said, sounding cheery as ever. She led us over to the well house. "Oh before we go, this is yours. I think you would want it." The girl handed me a silver pendant, that had a paw print on it with a dragon in the middle.

I took it and gasped, then looked down to see my birth mark gone. So I had been right, it had been more than just a birth mark.

"So all you do is jump in. It should transport you back just like us." She said, climbing on the side and jumped down. A blue, swirling light surrounded her. I ran to the edge and looked down. When the light died down, I noticed she was gone.

"Feh." Was all the half demon said as he jumped in as well. The same thing happened with him and I looked down into the empty well.

"Well, not like I have anything better to do." I joked to myself and climbed to the edge of the well. "Here goes." I jumped in, expecting to feel my feet hit the ground.

What I felt instead was a familiar feeling that I know I had experienced before. I opened my eyes to see the blue swirling light around me. As the light faded, I felt my feet touch down on soft soil.

'I guess it worked.' I thought to myself and looked up to see stars, so I obviously wasn't in the well house anymore.

**Home,** The same voice from before purred in my mind. I looked up and tried to think of how I would get out of here. I couldn't see any kind of latter or anything to help me up. I saw a few vines towards the top, but they were out of reach.

**Jump.** The voice told me, and I looked up again. There was no way that I would be able to make it up there in a jump. **Jump.** The voice said again, a bit more forcefully.

"Ok, ok, I will give it a shot." I said, crouching down to get ready to jump. I pushed down against the ground and jumped.

To say I was surprised at the results would be an understatement. I was amazed at how high I jumped. I cleared the well and went way higher; I was above the trees and could see for miles around. I came down and landed behind Kagome and Inuyasha, a soft thud sounding from under my feet as I again crouched from the landing.

"Kagome, Inuyasha look out! There's a demon behind you!" I heard a voice yell. It sounded like the voice of a child.

I didn't have time to look for the child, as I heard someone yell, "Hiraikotsu!"


	4. Dreams

**Ok, ok before you get out the pitch-forks and attack me for not updating on Friday, let me explain first. **

**I went home for Labor Day, my laptop broke and I forgot to bring my flash drive with the chapter back ups on it.**

**So to make up for it, I'm going to post 3 chapters in 3 days, ok?**

**I'll post one tonight, tomorrow, and the following day. Then I'll get back to scheduale on Friday.**

**So hope you all enjoy. ^^  
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* * *

><p><strong>~Dreams~<strong>

'_What is that you're working on, princess?' The beast asked looking up over the shoulder of the working female, his scaled head trying to see what she was hiding from him._

_The female laughed, her voice light and airy. "You always were a curious puppy." She said, placing a hand on the beast's side. "I am charming the pendant that will seal Misaki's powers." She said, lifting the pendant for the creature to see._

'_Isn't it already charmed to seal her powers?' He asked his bark covered in confusion. _

"_Yes, but I am adding my own charm. I want Misaki to know more about her people." She said placing the pendant down with a sigh and leaned against her companion's side. "We cannot expect her to remember who she is and what she is to do. Even her instincts wouldn't be able to tell her, no matter how strong they might be." The female said, standing from the desk she was at. _

_She walked over to the crib in the corner of the room and looked inside. The female smiled as she saw her daughter resting peacefully, completely unaware of the approaching war._

'_So what is it that this charm will do?' The beast said coming beside her and gazing down at the child._

"_It will send her flashes of my memories of our clan. That way she will know what to do, and where she is from. These dreams will come to her when she returns from where they hide her. Each time she falls asleep the dreams will come."The princess' words seemed sad but she continued anyway. "Also it will serve as a beacon to guide the spirits of our ancestors to her, so that they may help her in her dreams. We both know that she is special and must be trained carefully. They will train her, so that she may avenge the clan without fail."_

'_You do well to ensure the safety of the child and clan. You shall make an excellent queen.' The beast growled softly._

"_We both know that it is not meant to be for me to be a queen. I will fight to the death with the rest of my clan. Misaki will be the next queen when she returns." The princess said, as she faced the beast and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug._

_They both turned as the door swung open. "Princess, Masaru, the enemy forces have arrived. It is time." A demon said, clad in full battle armor. "Take the child now; we will cover your escape."_

_The princess and the beast looked at each other and she released the hug. _

"_I suppose that this is it." The princess said, reaching for the sleeping child gently._

'_Indeed, let us go so that we may not fail. The fate of your clan depends on this child, and that we safely deliver her into hiding.' The beast said, leading the way to a mirror, which held a secret tunnel behind it._

"_Stay close to me, and we must not take flight." The princess said disappearing into the tunnel with the beast behind her. She took one last glance back at the home she would never know again, small tears forming in her eyes, before her vision was blocked by the mirror being put back into place._

~**XxX**~

"Hiraikotsu!" I heard someone yell.

'_What the hell is a Hiraikotsu?'_ I my answer as a large boomerang came hurling towards me.

I slammed one end of my staff down on the ground and used it to push myself out of the way before it could reach me.

"Why is everyone attacking me?" I demanded and yelled in the direction the attack had come from.

As I touched back down on the ground another thought surfaced. _'Wait. Don't boomerangs could back?'_ I internally questioned. Unfortunately, I turned my head to see I was correct, and that the boomerang was heading for me again. This time I simply crouched low, and I could feel the change in air as the boomerang sailed over my head.

I stood up straight a little hesitantly. Who knows what else might come charging at me. First a giant sword, now a giant boomerang; was nothing regular sized in this world?

I also realized something else. Kagome had been standing in front of me, and now she was nowhere to be seen. I turned trying to find her, and then realized that the half-demon had pulled her out of the way.

'_Oh yea, don't worry about me? I'm only being attacked without any reason.'_ I thought bitterly, but turned my attention back to where the attack came from.

"Wait, it's ok!" I heard Kagome call from a little ahead of me. I turned and saw her and the half demon standing a few feet to the side of me. "Sango! Miroku! Don't attack! Kazuko isn't a bad demon!" She yelled.

'_So I take it that demons are considered evil around here.' _I sighed at this realization. Obviously this was probably going to happen often when I met someone new.

I turned in the direction she was yelling at and saw who she was yelling at. There were two people heading towards us. One was a female dressed in a green skirt and dull pink top; she had the boomerang in her hand looked as if she was ready to throw it at any moment. The other was a male dressed in dark blue and purple robe, and he had a monk's staff in his hand. Beside them was the largest cat I had ever seen in my life and those fangs looked more than lethal. Did it have two tails? Upon closer inspection I realized it did. I almost missed the small kid on the monk's shoulder, and apparently the kid had a tail.

'_Where am I?'_ I inwardly cringed because I was pretty sure I already knew that answer.

"Lady Kagome, are you sure this demon is not a threat?" The monk said, as they drew closer and came to a stop where Kagome and Inuyasha were.

"I am sure, here name is Kazuko. I can explain everything when we get back to Kaede's." Kagome said, turning towards me with an apologetic smile.

I gave a shrug, because I wasn't sure what else to do. The two seemed unsure but they took Kagome's words and lowered their weapons. I watched in awe as the giant cat was surrounded by fire, and when the fire had died down a small cat was in its place. It was exactly the same as the larger cat, only without the large fangs.

'_Who are you?'_ I heard someone ask, and I looked around. I couldn't see anyone talking so I brushed it off as a trick of the wind.

"Kazuko? We're going to head to Kaede's hut now." Kagome said coming over to me. I nodded, not having any idea who Kaede was. She seemed to sense the hidden question and answered for me. "Kaede is the village priestess and who helps me learn more about my priestess powers." She said leading me towards the village I could see in the distance.

We made it to the village without any other incident and I noticed one hut set apart from the others. Since they all headed into the hut, I assumed it was this Kaede person's hut.

As I walked in I noticed an old lady with an eye patch on her right eye, dressed in old fashion priestess clothing.

'_I guess here it's not considered old fashion.'_ I thought with a dry laugh.

"Kagome, I see you have returned." She said, and then her one eye landed on me. "You have brought a friend with you." Her words seemed a bit hesitant, but at least she didn't attack me on sight.

"At least she didn't jump to conclusions and attack me." I grumbled, though made it loud enough for the others to hear. They seemed to flinch slightly at my words, as if they realized that I was still upset about being attacked. "My name is Kazuko. I come from Kagome's time." I said, finding it strange to explain that I was from a different time.

They didn't seem to believe me and looked towards Kagome for conformation. Kagome nodded to confirm my answer.

"That explains her clothes." The small child said, earning a nod from the rest of them.

"She came to our shrine to get answers about where she came from. She was found on my family shrine as an infant." Kagome said taking a seat, the small child sitting in her lap. I took a seat beside her; the other female took a seat beside me. Inuyasha sat in one corner of the hut and the monk sat at another corner.

Kagome immediately launched into telling everyone my story. I would throw in a few words, or correct something, but I mostly let her tell the story. Everyone listened in silent awe as she spoke, the story sounded mystical even to my ears, even though I was the one who lived it.

When her story came to an end, everyone's eyes were now on me. It didn't bother me much. Having been in an orphanage, I got used to being constantly looked at. This seemed to go on for minutes as no one could manage to say anything.

"So you think Kazuko is from our time?" The monk finally said.

"I believe so. It's the only explanation as to how a demon would be in my time." Kagome said, looking from me to the others.

"Not to be rude, but I feel a bit strange having you talk about me, and I don't even know who you guys are." I said, looking at them.

"Oh, I'm sorry Kazuko." Kagome said.

"My name is Sango." The other female said, giving a soft smile. "I am a demon slayer, and I apologize for attacking you earlier. We thought you were after the jewel shards."

I was still confused about what these jewel shards were, and why they were so important but I nodded anyway.

She held up the small, two-tailed cat. "This is my companion Kilala; she's a twin-tailed neko demon." I could have sworn I heard someone say 'Hi' as she did.

"That's ok; it hasn't been the first time tonight." I said, smiling back at her. To emphasize my words I pointed a glare towards Inuyasha, who in return glared back at me.

"My name is Miroku my fair lady." The monk said, and I got the feeling that there was more behind his words than he originally said. "As you may be able to tell, I am a monk."

"And I'm Shippo!" The small child said jumping into my lap. "I'm a fox demon!" That explained his tail, and now that I looked closer, his feet.

"You already know who Kaede, Inuyasha and I are." Kagome said, and I nodded at her.

"That's better, I just felt weird not knowing who you all were and having you talk about me." I said looking around trying to memorize all of their names. They seemed to understand my feelings.

"So if you're from here, how did you get to Kagome's time?" Inuyasha said, and I could tell from his voice that he still didn't believe me or trust me.

"I'm not sure. That's why I came here, well to Kagome's Family Shrine; I wanted to find some answers." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"We may not know how child, but it is clear you did." Kaede said, getting everyone's attention. "Perhaps if we can figure out what kind of demon you are, we can figure out more about you."

"He," I started, pointing towards Inuyasha, "said it was Inu mixed with something else."

"Do you know what else, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, turning towards the half-demon.

"No. I've smelled it before, but I can't remember where." It might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn he growled in annoyance.

'_Ryu.'_ **Ryu. **I two voices say. One voice was the one in my head, and the other the same I thought I had heard before. This time I was sure the new one it was a real voice. I had heard it three times now.

"Ryu?" I questioned turning towards Sango, because it seemed the voice was coming from her.

"Ryu? As in dragon?" Kagome questioned, looking at me with an equally confused look.

"That's what Sango said." I looked from Kagome back to Sango. "Right?"

"I didn't say anything." Sango said shaking her head.

"But I heard someone say 'Ryu' and it came from Sango's direction." I defended, realizing how crazy I must sound.

"It wasn't me." Sango seemed to become as confused as Kagome and I.

'_I spoke young one.'_ This time I dropped my line of sight to see the small cat sitting in Sango's lap.

"Kilala?" I questioned and was answered by a mew.

'_Yes, young one, I am the one speaking to you.'_ This time I listened carefully and realized that Kilala was mewing when I heard the words.

"I can… understand you? But… how?" I asked, still looking straight at Kilala. Everyone else was looking at me as if I had grown a second head.

I couldn't blame them. I probably should have tried explaining what was going on, but I wasn't exactly sure. Plus, trying to figure out more about myself was more important that defending my sanity.

'_I'll explain later. But you are a Ryu-Inu. I thought that clan was wiped out.'_ Kilala seemed to be talking to herself as she said the last part. _'If you'll allow me, I'll help you explain to the others. Just repeat what I tell you.'_ I nodded at the small cat and turned back to the others.

"Kilala says that I am a Ryu-Inu." I stated, as the neko jumped onto my head.

"I heard that clan was wiped out in a war with the East around two decades ago. Well less of a war, more of a massacre. The clan didn't stand a chance they were outnumbered more than fifty to one." Miroku said thinking on the subject.

"That's what Kilala sais also." I said, and then paused as the neko began mewing to me again. "She said that there was a rumor that the royal family hid an infant at the beginning of the war. It's possible that I am that infant."

The others gasped lightly, everyone except Inuyasha whose eyes were closed.

"Maybe that's what the symbol on your pendant and staff means." Kagome said. She had a point; I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it before now.

I pulled the pendent out from my pocket and looked down at it. I traced the outline of the paw, my thoughts drifting in every, and any, direction.

"It is late, almost midnight." The old priestess said, and I could see the weariness in her eye. "Let us retire for the night and sort things out in the morning." She advised and headed over to a sleeping cot.

"Wait!" The half demon said stomping over to stand in front of me. "How do we know she's not just faking? She could be planning to kill us and take the jewel!" He said, pointing a clawed finger straight in my face. "I don't trust her and I'm not going to sleep while she's here!" The growled and I could feel my anger rising.

"Inu…" Kagome began to say but I interrupted her.

"Fine! Mutt! I will sleep outside!" I growled standing up and putting my face right into his, so that our noses were only an inch apart. Our growls filled the room before I turned and left, I felt my tail smack him across the stomach before I walked out.

I heard arguing rise from inside the hut, but I was too upset to care. I heard Kagome yell, "Sit" and it was followed by a large crashing sound.

I continued to storm into the trees till I ran out of steam. The day had been long and I could feel the wave of exhaustion finally catching up to me. I ended up in front of a tree that looked identical to the one that had been at Kagome's shrine.

**The Tree of Ages**. I heard a voice say to me, again sounding as if it were a different part of me that was speaking.

"So this is the Tree of Ages." I said, taking a seat with my back against the tree and my staff beside me.

I noticed when I released the staff, the multi-colored dragon lost its color and became a black outline, but I didn't have time to think it over. My body was demanding rest, and I was more than happy to give it the rest it wanted. I wasn't sure why, but it felt natural to fall asleep under the stars; so I closed my eyes, leaned further back on the tree and drifted into a deep slumber.

"_We must give them the child; they will slaughter us all if we don't." A male spoke looking angrily down at me and I realized I held a small infant in my hands. The child looked exactly like what I would have looked like as a demon infant. Same markings and everything._

"_But why must I be separated from my child? She is only a few days old, we cannot simply abandon her!" I screamed back at the male, though the voice wasn't my own, tears were streaming down my face and onto the infant._

_For some reason even though I was a part of this, I couldn't control anything. It was as if I was watching a 3D movie._

"_She was born with the rare ability. She will be sought after by many. Even if we do manage to defeat the Eastern Army, more will come! We cannot endanger the entire clan for the sake of one child!" The male growled, raising his sword to strike the me down._

"_Enzo! Surely you are not thinking of harming the princess? And in my presence, no doubt." Another male said standing from where he was seated on a throne._

"_Of course not, my Lord. I lost my calm." Enzo said, lowering his weapon and bowing towards the other male, though his eyes glared at the me with undisguised hatred._

"_Princess, we must consider what is best for the clan, above our own personal gain." The Lord said looking down at me, though the tears were clouding my vision._

"_Even you father? You would have my child given away to be enslaved as a weapon?" I said, my crying increased as I stood from my seat._

"_No, I have a better idea." The Lord said looking towards another female on a thrown next to his. "The Lady and I have decided on a plan of action." He said looking at the other gathered generals of his army. "We will hide the child, and fight the East. She is the heir to our clan's thrown, and even if she weren't we refuse to give away any of our own to the East or anyone else. Or have you forgotten your clan loyalty" He said stepping down to the table the generals were around. "I have an advisor from another land that has told me of an enchanted well that can make demons disappear. We will hide the child there, until the war is over. Should we fail, the child will return to avenge the clan."_

_The Lord's words were answered with agreements and protest. There were some, like Enzo, that wanted to hand the child over without a fight. The others sided with the Lord and wanted to do everything to protect the clan's honor._

"_We have received word that the Eastern Army is already on its way here. From reports, they will be here within three days. So we have until then to prepare our defense. So go prepare your soldiers for battle. Dismissed!"The generals exited the battle room immediately to follow the Lord's orders._

"_Father, is there really such a well?" I asked, walking over to the male on the thrown still clutching the child. _

"_Yes, and it is our only hope." He answered, lifting the child from my arms. "My grandpup shall not know the luxuries of growing up in our palace, but we must have faith that she will one day become our Lady."His words were burdened with sadness as he looked at the sleeping infant. "One day the Ryu-Inu's will be ruled by the powerful Lady Misaki." He said, looking at the pendant around the child's neck that marked her as one of the clan. He handed the child back to me, and placed a kiss on my forehead._

"_So what do I do?" I asked, cradling the child once more._

"_Go to your room. Masaru already has the directions you need. You must prepare at once." I nodded at the male's words and left the room._

"_That child is our last hope." I head the male whisper softly as I left the room with the child._

~**XxX**~

"Kazuko! Kazuko! Are you out here Kazuko?" The shouts of my name brought me out of my sleep.

I was mildly annoyed. For some strange reason I wanted to know what happened to the female's child, and shook my head. It was probably just my brain replaying some soap opera I had watched, only adding in the demon knowledge I had just gotten.

'_That was the weirdest dream I've ever had. Plus, it's the second time I've dreamed of someone named Misaki. I wonder who that is.'_ I thought, stretching and hearing a few bones snap back to normal. Even though the logical side of my brain said to just drop it, somehow I couldn't.

'_I found you, young one.' _I heard Kilala mewl as she landed in front of me, this time in her larger form.

"Yes, you have found me. I didn't want to be around that annoying dog anymore." I said my tone flat and bitter.

'_You are of Inu blood as well.'_ The neko pointed out and I rolled my eyes slightly and couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"I guess you're right." I said standing and picking up my staff again.

Once again the dragon went from being an outline to a multi-colored dragon again.

'_The others have been looking for you since they awoke.'_ Kilala said brushing against my side. I began to walk back towards the village, with Kilala's fur brushing against my side. I placed a hand on the fur on back and stroked lightly. She purred and I couldn't keep from smiling.

"It's not like I went that far." I said, taking in the scenery. Everything looked so calm and peaceful, so different from the city. Just walking through the trees seemed to calm me. "I bet Inuyasha didn't bother looking." I frowned slightly, thinking about how the half-demon had been.

'_Kagome made him search. She threatened to 'sit' him if he didn't look.'_ I gave her a confused look at the last part of her statement.

"She threatened to 'sit' him?" I asked, as we came to the tree line and Kaede's hut came into view.

'_You'll see.'_ I could have sworn the neko chuckled, or whatever the feline equivalent of chuckling was. I didn't push the subject, figuring the neko knew what she was talking about.

As we got closer to Kaede's hut, I began to hear the other's voices. Even though we were so far away, I could hear them as if I was in the middle of them.

"I still haven't been able to find Kazuko. I can't sense her demonic aura anywhere, anymore." That one was Kagome's voice.

"Her scent has vanished too." Inuyasha was growling. "See what I mean? If she supposedly just found out she's a demon, how can she hide her presence so well?" He demanded, and I had no idea what he meant.

As he spoke, I suddenly smelled something extremely sharp and bitter. It was a scent that I don't ever remember smelling, and I didn't like it.

"What is that? It feels like my nose is burning." I wondered to myself. It wasn't a painful burn, but just very unpleasant.

'_What you smell is doubt and unease.'_ Kilala said, lifting her head to look at me. I came to a stop just before we could become visible to the others.

"I can smell doubt?" I questioned looking down at her with my head tilted to the side.

'_You are a demon, so your senses are much more advanced than humans; and being an Inu, your sense of smell is very keen.'_ The neko growled her voice like that of a teacher.

"Then how come I haven't been able to smell anything else?" I couldn't recall smelling anything else like that.

'_You have, but haven't realized it. Demons have advance senses, but if they do not train in how to use them, they are no better than human senses. It is the same as having a weapon, without training it is useless. You smelled the doubt, because it is different from the usual flow of scents in the environment. Changes in emotions are the easiest to scent out, since they do not change very often.'_ Her words made sense, and I nodded to show that I was following her.

"So how do I train my senses?" I doubted Kagome, Miroku or Sango could help, they were humans. Shippo was probably too young to teach me anything, I'm sure he still had learning of his own to do. Inuyasha was also out of the question, he seemed to hate me. That left… "Will you help me, Kilala? I'm new to this whole demon thing." I said, giving a smile at the neko.

'_Yes.'_ She purred, rubbing against my side. _'I will help you the best I can. Since I do not have Ryu or Inu blood, I cannot teach you the secrets and techniques of your clan, but I will try hard to teach you all that I can.'_

I wrapped my arms around the neko's neck and smiled against her fur. "Thank you Kilala. You seem to be the only one who trusts me." I said, straightening back up. "Let's go, before they get worried about you."

'_Yes, I'm sure they will be concerned about both of us.'_ Kilala said, shrinking to her smaller form and leaping onto my shoulder.

'_I know they say first impressions are the most important, but that didn't go so well. Maybe now that everyone has rested, this can go better. So here goes, the second impression.'_ I joked to myself as I took a breath and stepped out of the tree line, to face the others.


	5. Two Tailed Teacher

**As promised, here is the next chapter one day after the last.**

**Not much to say here, so here it is the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'. Oh and reviews are appreciated, but not mandatory.  
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**Enjoy ^^.  
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><p><strong>~Two-Tailed Teacher~<strong>

"_Just a few more pushes, the child is almost out." A mid-wife said as she wiped sweat from her mistress' head. Being a dragon of ice, the mid-wife was able to keep the female cool while she was in labor._

_The mistress screamed in pain and effort, trying to continue pushing. The fatigue was getting to her, but she refused to give in. With a final scream she gave a large push, and the rest of the child came out. The room was immediately filled with the birthing wails of the infant._

"_Go inform the Lord and Lady that it has been a successful birth, and that they may enter the birthing room shortly." The mid-wife said to her young apprentice. The young demoness nodded her head and quickly left the room to do as instructed._

"_It is a beautiful baby girl." The mid-wife said, as she cleaned up the mistress. She was putting the dirty rags away and a new blanket on the bed, when the Lord and Lady entered the room. They moved slowly, as if unsure of what to do. After having the halls filled with labor screams for so long, the small cries of the child seemed like nothing above a hum._

"_How are they?" The Lady asked, coming over to sit beside the female on the bed. The mid-wife returned from the tub of water she was washing the child in, and she held the child up for the royal demons to see._

"_You couldn't ask for a more beautiful heir." The mid-wife said softly, placing the infant in the mother's arms. _

"_Yes, she is definitely of the royal family. Her markings are flawless." The Lady said, looking down at the whimpering infant. "You did well my daughter." She added, looking at the new mother._

"_Thank you, mother." The female said, smiling at her child. "Father? Would you like to see her?"_

_The male, who had stood frozen in the door frame, nodded his head and walked over to beside the bed. He smiled at the child and placed a clawed hand on the infant's forehead. The child still momentarily, as if trying to take in the new feeling, before it began its cries again._

"_Yes, she is a fine infant." The male said, removing an object from across his back. He brought forth a black staff, one end holding the black outline of a dragon, the other end having a silver dog. In his hands, the dragon turned an electrifying yellow, and when he placed it on the bed, it returned to just an outline._

"_Father, must we do this now? She is barely an hour old." The female said, pulling the infant closer to her chest._

"_We must do so, as it has always been done. I must know what to report to the other lands. Also, she is already betrothed; I have to know what to tell the prince's family about his betrothed. Their joining will strengthen both of our clans." The male said, picking up the infant from the mother's arms. He placed the infant beside the staff and stood up straight again._

_The infant immediately increased the volumes of its cries at being without contact, especially its' mother. Its tiny arms and hands trashed about weakly, until the infant's hand came in contact with the staff. They royal family leaned in close, their breaths held in anticipation._

_The dragon on the staff swirled, colors flashing briefly as it tried to settle on one, before it lit up with several colors and maintained its multi-colored look._

"_No!" The new mother screamed, her voice echoing through the room. The Lady held her daughter close and closed her eyes at seeing the multi-colored dragon._

"_No, not our heir." The male said softly, looking down at where the infant still clutched loosely on the staff._

_The sobs of the mother, along with her infant's cries, filled the entire castle causing several servants to pause in their work._

"_Why? Why my child? I have just lost my mate. Why must I lose my child next?" The mother cried, picking her child and cradling her. _

"_We are not sure the child is lost yet." The father said, picking up the staff and placing it once again across his back._

"_Father you know what this means. You know what will happen." The new mother sobbed, causing the child to cry out more, feeling her mother's despair._

"_We will do what we can." The male said. He quickly left the room, leaving the Lady and mid-wife to calm the crying mother and child._

~**XxX**~

"Hey Kilala, do you know why the dragon on my staff changes?" I was sitting on top of Kaede's hut, one of the things I had learned to do. Kilala sat beside me, in her smaller form, looking over the staff.

'_I cannot say. I have never seen a weapon such as this, even the metal it is made of is a mystery to me.'_ The neko answered, and I sighed. It seemed everything about me was a mystery now, one that no one could seem to solve.

When I had returned to the group, they had all seemed relieved to see us. Honestly, I got the feeling that they were more relieved to see Kilala than me in particular. Kagome had looked at me strange and said something about not being able to sense my presence; and Inuyasha had complained that even though I was in front of him, he couldn't smell me. I don't even want to explain how strange that sounded.

Against Inuyasha's protest, they proceeded to tell me about their stories, how they came to be in a group. I was surprised at the amount of angst and despair that made up their stories.

Naraku left a foul taste in my mouth, but I didn't say so. I may have seemed cold for not showing any pity to their story, but I had learned that not everyone wanted pity. Some people just wanted you to understand and that was all.

But right now, they were having some sort of secret meeting in the hut, whispering as low as they could, though I could hear them just fine. _'That reminds me.'_

"Hey Kilala? What did Kagome mean by not being able to sense me?" I asked, leaning back so that I was lying down on the roof.

'_She means your presence. Everything has a presence; it's almost like a measure of one's strength. Regular humans, regular animals and objects have very weak presences, and are barely noticeable even by most demons. Lower level demons have slightly stronger presences, along with human spiritual apprentices. The presences you normally feel mostly stronger demons, monks, priestess and any other high ranking spiritual human. I'll show you how to pick up, and distinguish, presences.'_ Kilala said, and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. In less than forty-two hours, I had gone from applying to colleges, to having a cat as my teacher.

"You said normally? So are there other presences that I wouldn't usually feel." I asked, turning my head to look over at the neko.

'_Yes, there are. Those would be the exceptionally strong demons, and spiritual humans. I won't have to teach you much on those, you'll feel it. It will be like a chill that goes through your body, and even though you aren't trained, your instincts will pick up on it.'_ She said, and began to groom herself.

I mulled over what Kilala had told me, my eyes following the lazily drifting clouds. What she said made sense, but without the training it was hard to completely follow. I had always been a hands-on learner. I could be lectured all day, but if I didn't actually work at something, I wouldn't get it. I tried to sense out things on my own, starting with the people inside. I could sense a variety of, what I guess would be called presences. There was only one problem. I could only sense five. Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, Shippo and Kaede were all in the hut, and that equaled six. So why could I only feel five?

I sat up, my eyes narrowed in concentration. I listened to each person talk. When someone would talk, I would focus in on them to see what I could feel.

"Inuyasha we can't just abandon her and she can't go back to my time looking like she does." How sweet of Kagome trying to defend me against that mutt. Kagome's presence felt pure. I wasn't sure how to describe it other than it felt like someone took the purity of an infant and bottled it inside of her. I guess that was to be expected of a priestess. She also had the strongest presence out of them.

"Well we can't just drag her along; we still don't know if she's been sent to trick us. She could be with Naraku for all we know." I really wanted to pound his head in, though I was curious as to who this Naraku-guy was. His presence felt more primal, as if he was only steps away from being a rabid dog. That thought made me giggle slightly. Despite that, the power behind his presence couldn't be denied. He was a powerful half-demon, too bad his attitude was so rotten.

"Have you picked up any traces of Naraku around her, or around the village in general?" I wasn't sure if Miroku was defending me or curious about this Naraku guy's scent, but at least he wasn't trying to get rid of me. The monk had a strong presence around him, though it was certainly not pure, like Kagome. So I guess what I was feeling was his spiritual powers. I felt the same with Kagome; just hers had a layer of purity around it.

"Well no." Inuyasha mumbled with a huff.

"Inuyasha you're just being mean." Shippo's young voice was filled with what I guess was his version of being tough. The young fox had an aura that was similar to Inuyasha though part of it was stronger than his, and still held the purity expected of a child. I suppose the similar parts between him and Inuyasha was the demon presence. Since Shippo was a full demon, it made sense that his was stronger, even if he was younger.

"Then ye should not be so quick to cast her out. She is a full demon, perhaps she could be helpful on ye quest." Kaede's aura was purer than Miroku's but not quite as pure as Kagome's. The old priestess presence was also fading. I would imagine when she was in her prime, she had a stronger presence.

"Lady Kaede has a point, don't you agree Sango?" Miroku again.

"Yes, I agree. I think we should let her come, and you can keep an eye on her if you want, Inuyasha." And we have a winner. As hard as I tried, I couldn't feel a presence coming from Sango. I focused even harder, and I was able to pick up a sliver of one, but it took a lot effort to feel.

"Kilala?" I started, turning to face the feline. "I've been trying to work of feeling the presences like you said. I think I have a good idea of it, but there's one problem." I noticed Kilala tilt her head in question. "Why can I barely pick up a presence around Sango?"

The neko began to run a paw over her ears, a gesture I had come to learn meant she was thinking very hard. _'Sango is an ordinary human.'_

I thought back to the giant boomerang she had hurled at me, and shook my head. No way could someone that did that, be just an ordinary human. "Are you sure? She seems very strong to me." I said, crossing my legs.

'_Yes, Sango is strong, but her strength is physical. She has simply built up her strength, stamina and precision. Something anyone could do with proper training. Unlike most humans, she has pushed her body to perform at its highest level. So she may seem stronger than most humans, but it is purely physical. So her aura is like that of a regular human, barely noticeable without extensive training.'_ Kilala talked slowly, as if picking each of her words before she said them. I listened, my head nodding slightly and occasionally.

"That makes sense." I said, placing a hand on the neko's head and petting. "So what else is there to learn? Part of me felt like if I just ignore it all, everything will go back to the way it was." I sighed, but continued. "But now I guess this is my new reality, so I want to make sure I can handle it. If I'm a demon, then I would think I should be able to do something some… special? I know I can jump higher than before, and I can fight on a different level than before. So how should I train?"

Kilala began running her paw over her ear again. _'Battle training will be difficult. I cannot teach you how to wield a weapon properly, since I have never wielded one myself. I have an idea though. It's not the average way of battle training, but as you said, you need to learn to fight someway.'_ She said jumping off of the roof and motioning with her tails for me to follow. I grabbed my staff and jumped from the roof, following Kilala into the trees.

"Where are we going?" I asked, noticing that Kilala was moving pretty fast. I had to begin running to keep up with her. The neko didn't answer me; instead she began speeding up.

Just, as I was about to catch up with Kilala, and was running as fast as I ever had, she was surrounded in fire. When the fire was gone, the neko was in her battle form again; and she took off flying at full speed.

"Kilala! Wait!" I yelled, willing my body to go faster. I was surprised and excited when my body responded. The weightless feeling I had from rushing through the trees was amazing. My hair whipped in the wind behind me, and my tail streamed out behind me like a flag. It was a little hard to maneuver and make sure I didn't hit a tree or rock, but I managed to keep going without incident.

'_We're here.'_ I heard Kilala roar from above me and I came to a sudden stop. If I had been human, I most likely would have fallen or hurt something; but my body came to the immediate stop I wanted, and it almost looked graceful.

"Where is here?" I asked, looking around. We were in triangular shaped clearing that had a river running along one of the sides.

'_For now we are at your new training spot. Whenever we're at Kaede's, we'll come here to train.'_ Kilala said landing and staying in her battle form.

"That's fine with me, it's kind of nice." I said, taking in the scenery. It seems so peaceful, almost a shame to ruin it through training.

'_As I said before, I can't teach you to wield a weapon; but you still need to learn to defend yourself. We both heard Kagome and the others, so it seems you will be traveling with us.'_ The neko said, stretching out.

"So, if I'm not going to learn to fight with a weapon, how am I going to fight?" I asked, placing my staff down beside me.

'_Your markings show that you are of a powerful clan and royalty. So I would say that it is safe to assume you have a true demon form.'_ Kilala said and I tilted my head to the side.

"I thought this was my true form." I said, running a hand through my silver hair and bringing it up so that I could see it.

'_You're in your demon form now, but not your true form. Your true form is when you release your inner demon completely.'_ Apparently my confused face said it all, as Kilala continued. _'There are two types of demons, feral demons and youkai. I am a feral demon, born animal-like with demonic abilities. You are a youkai, born with human-like appearance, with some changes, and demonic abilities.'_ She said, sitting in front of me.

"Ok, so you are a feral demon and I am a youkai. I think I understand that." I said, taking a seat as well.

'_Correct. Now when it comes to youkai, every youkai has an inner demon. Since you are a Ryu-Inu, you should think of it as a small dragon-dog inside of you locked in a cage. Every youkai has this small creature inside of them that is the source of their demonic abilities. The inner demon leaks demonic power through the cage, but since it's locked up it can't release its full ability. Stronger demons, like you, have the ability to unlock that cage and let their inner demon come completely free.'_ Kilala said, pausing again to make sure I was following her.

"There is a tiny demon inside a cage inside of me and this tiny demon is the source of my power. I can unlock the cage to release all of the power" I said, with a light laugh at how dumb and basic that must have sounded compared to Kilala's explanation.

'_Basically'._ Kilala answered with her own purr of amusement. _'So when you release the power, you will transform into your true self. So let's get started.'_

She said standing back up and shaking her fur out. _'Think about that power being completely unleashed. Best way I can think of is to simply clear your mind and let your inner demon take over. You should end up in a feral looking form like me.'_

I nodded my head but remained seated. I closed my eyes and focused. I could feel trails of power flowing through my body, almost like the veins that carried my blood. I picked one of the trails of power and followed its flow. As it drew nearer to the source, I could feel the power in my body increasing. The increase of power was almost terrifying, but I was determined not to be afraid of what was a part of me. I continued pushing until I found the source of the power.

**You have finally awoken me.** I heard a familiar voice say, and it felt as if I was floating in space.

'_Who are you?'_ I thought, looking around in the darkness to pinpoint the voice.

**I am you, or at a part of you. I am your inner demon. **The voice said, and I found myself staring into two red eyes.

'_Are you an evil demon?' _I couldn't help but ask, since everyone else seemed to think demons were pure evil.

**I am you, if you are evil then I am. If you are not, then I am not. **The sensation in the air changed as I looked into the red eyes closely. I suddenly found my body going from hot to cold, feeling like my body was being electrocuted and losing its' form.

'_What's going on, what are you doing?'_ I demanded looking into the eyes, beginning to feel a sense of panic rising.

**You came seeking the full extent of our power? So that you may change into your true form? **The voice almost seemed smug in the way that it spoke to me. I wanted to hit it, but that would have been self mutilation right?

'_Yes, I do want to change into my true form.'_ I said then thought about it. _'And don't sound so cocky. You're a part of me, not the other way around.'_

**You have so much to learn, but I will unleash our power.** The voice said with a chuckle.

Once again I was filled a combination of feelings. I felt as if I were being electrocuted, burned, drowned and, this time, crushed. The wave of power hit me like a train and I inwardly doubled over.

~**Kilala**~

I stood watching Kazuko, seeing no visible difference. I even stepped forward slightly to sniff her, to see if I could scent a change. Nothing. I was about to give up on this approach and nudge her awake when her entire aura changed.

Her aura became completely visible and it swirled in a multitude of colors, unlike anything I had ever seen before. I had to step back from the amount of demonic aura leaking from her body.

Kazuko's eyes snapped open and they were a blood red, with purple slits. Her body began to morph and I watched the transformation.

Her mouth elongated into a muzzle, her hands and feet became paws, and turning her into a large dog. Though her fur was silver, the tips were a light purple, which made her seem silver in certain lights, and purple in others. Her ears were floppy, not standing up like Inuyasha's. I was surprised when she stopped growing around the size that I was. I had been expecting her to grow to the size of Sesshomaru's true form.

Kazuko now stood in front of me in her true form, standing about a half foot taller than me. She was looking over herself, lifting her paws and inspecting them.

'_It worked?'_ She barked at me. I gave a feline smile and nodded.

~**Kazuko**~

I couldn't believe it had actually worked!

I could feel the power in this form, despite the fact that I was a giant dog. _'I'm supposed to be part dragon too. How come I don't have any dragon features?'_ I realized that my words came out in barks and growls, though I knew Kilala could still understand me.

'_You bring up a good question.'_ Kilala said as she circled me, seeing that I possessed no dragon features. _'Perhaps you need more training or the traits are simply not visible. Either way, you achieved your true form, so we can begin battle training.'_ She said.

'_Great.'_ I said stepping forward, amazed at how easily my body and mind adjusted to walking on all four paws. _'So where do we start?'_

'_Just come at me. I want to see how far your instincts can take you.'_ Kilala said, crouching slightly in preparation for an attack.

I wasn't sure what to do, but I crouched down as well. I tried to think back to the nature shows I had seen from time to time, and thought about how the animals fought. I remembered watching a special on wolves fighting and decided to go on that. I pushed off with my paws and charged Kilala. I waited till I was a few feet away from her and jumped, my front paws extended to crash into her.

Kilala maneuvered out of my way easily, and brought up a paw to push against my side. Her paw sent me off course and off balance and I crashed to the ground on my side. She didn't even seem to have done more than flicked away a flea.

'_Try again.'_ Kilala said, and I'm pretty sure her eyes were sparking.

I shook myself off and stood again. _'So I have to watch my air time. If I missed, I would just end up opening myself up for attack.'_ I thought trying to come up with another plan. I smirked to myself as I thought of something.

I crouched again, and Kilala followed suit. I charged and leapt again, but this time I was ready when she moved out of the way. This time when she dodged, I brought my front paws down and used them to kick my hind paws towards her side.

Again she was ready and moved back enough to avoid the attack. I was now facing away from her, and felt her teeth close in on my tail. She didn't bite down hard, but enough to get her point across.

'_Good thinking, but it's going to take more than two moves to take your enemy down.'_ Kilala said, and this time I was sure she seemed to be excited. Now that I thought about it, I bet she never got time to enjoy a good training session on this level.

'_What has you so excited?'_ I asked, standing up and beginning to think of a new strategy.

'_It has been a long time since I've had a battle for myself. For the past few years, I have simply been assisting, not directly participating.'_ Kilala admitted, her ears flicking back slightly.

'_I would miss a real battle too.'_ I said charging at Kilala again. This time I pushed against my paws as if I was going to jump. I waited until she began to avoid, when I continued charging instead of jumping. Just when I thought I had the feline, she took to the skies.

'_Hey, flying isn't fair!'_ I called up at the feline. She was purring heavily with amusement.

'_Do you think your opponent will play fair?_' She had a point.

I growled and jumped towards Kilala, though something strange happened. I didn't come back down. I had the same fire around my paws that Kilala had and I was hovering in the air. As wind gushed past my ears I also saw that I had two wings that seemed to made out of pure fire, yet I could feel them as extensions of my body.

'_Too cool.'_ I said, smiling inwardly and charging at Kilala.

'_I believe you have found your dragon side.'_ She said, avoiding my sky attack.

Charging at her in the sky was completely different from being on the ground. The air wasn't heavy enough for me to just stop myself, so I had to be completely responsible for my own stopping. The wings helped, as I could flap them to slow me down. I floated past Kilala for several feet before I figured out how to stop myself completely and turn around.

'_I think you may have to help me learn to fly too.'_ I barked with a laugh and slowly brought myself back over to where Kilala was.

'_It seems like every time we begin to work on getting something down, something else appears.'_ Kilala purred with amusement, helping me to steady myself in the sky.

'_Yea, who knows what will happen next.'_ I said, as we both came back down to the ground.

'_For now let's work on your ground attack. Once you get that down, we can move on to the aerial maneuvers.'_ Kilala roared. I nodded and began trying my attacks again. I gave it my all and we began to make process as the sun set.

By the time we split, I could feel my fur sticking to me with sweat and the small amounts of blood that came from the training. Kilala looked only a little better than me, so I felt confident in what we were doing.

~**Unknown**~

I had felt an aura stronger than that of most others I had felt. The more interesting part was the type of aura that it was. It was an aura I hadn't felt in almost two decades, that of a Ryu-Inu. What made it interesting was that I had received reports that all of the Ryu-Inu clan was wiped out.

I left my ward, dragon and retainer behind, telling them I would return. As I got closer to the source of the aura I felt it flare up suddenly and stay at a higher level. _'They have changed into their true form.'_ I mentally noted speeding up my pace slightly, in case they should take off.

The worst part was the smell of the disgusting half-breed and his pack around the aura. Thankfully, the strong aura split away from where the half-breed was. I made sure to cover my scent and presence as I drew nearer.

What I saw when I arrived surprised me, though I kept the same uninterested demeanor. I arrived just in time to see a demoness begin transforming into her true form. Her true form was small, and I had an idea that it wasn't the largest she could get. I knew Ryu-Inu's rarely showed dragon features in their true form. I saw her clumsily attack a two-tailed neko. I recognized the two-tailed as the one belonging to the demon slayer in the half-demon's pack.

I watched as they practiced fighting for hours, the demoness was slowly becoming better. By the time the moon was in the sky, the Ryu-Inu was beginning to put up a decent fight against the neko, though I could tell the neko was holding back for now.

'_I think we should head back. Sango and the others will get worried.'_ The neko mewed from where she had the Ryu-Inu pinned down.

'_Yea, I don't need any more for Inuyasha to grumble about.'_ The Ryu-Inu said, as she pushed up to get the neko off. She walked over to where a staff lay and picked it up between her fangs. The two took to the sky and head in the direction of the village, the demoness quite shakily, neither noticing my presence.

They were both covered in scratches and a few bruises, but nothing life threatening. I turned to walk away, pondering the information that I had just learned. It appeared I would have to make a visit to my brother's pack soon. The Ryu-Inu had once been powerful allies of my father and the Western Lands, so should some have survived, it would be strategically smart to investigate.


	6. My Unknown Betroth

**And... here is the 3rd chapter in 3 days. Thank goodness that these are premade, or these past 3 days would have been crazy. **

**I'm gonna give away a little secret. I have all the way up to chapter 9 already written. So if you review, then I can post them faster. Also, when I say reviews, you don't have to just say you liked it. Critcism, if tastefully done, doesn't bother me; I actually see it as a way to make my stories better. Suggestions are also always welcomed.  
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**Either way, the next chapter will be up Friday. So here it is the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.  
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**Enjoy. ^^  
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><p><strong>~ My Unknown Betroth ~<strong>

"_Betroth? I am not even half way through my pregnancy and you have betrothed my child. How could you father? You have done this without even consulting me, and I am the mother of the child." The princess said from her spot at the dining table. The royal family was dining when the announcement of the unborn child's betrothal, had come in through a messenger. _

"_As the still reigning Lord of this clan," The head male stated, looking away as he saw his daughter flinch. "I am responsible for the betrothal of all females in my care, which includes your child, if it shall be female." He said, turning back to his daughter. "Had Tsuyoshi not passed, then he would be making these decisions now." He said, noticing the lone tear that formed in his daughter's eye at the mention of her deceased mate._

"_He would have at least told me, or consulted me." The princess said, dropping her eyes down to uneaten food she pushed around._

"_Perhaps, but the other Lords left me little choice. If I had not made the decision as soon as I did, it would have been lost. This binding will strengthen our clan far beyond any other binding." The male said, though he understood how his daughter must feel about the matter. Many females were against the betrothal of themselves and especially their daughters, and in most families betrothals were becoming less common, but being in a royal family it was a matter of business and what is best for the clan._

_The princess seemed to want to say something but held it back; instead she just began to take small bites of her meal._

"_Honey, perhaps it will be a male, and we shall not have to worry about it." The Lady of the clan said, placing her hand on her daughter's._

"_Who is it? Who is my child's betrothed?" The princess said, looking from her mother to her father._

_The father looked down, obviously not wanting to answer the question. He knew the answer would infuriate the daughter, but it was the only choice he had. Though sometimes there were changes, royalty of the Ryu clans were often betrothed to royalty of the four clans. Along with their Ryu-Inu clan of the West there were three other Ryu clans: the Ryu-Tori Clan of the East, the Ryu- Okami Clan of the North, and the Ryu-Neko Clan of the South. Unfortunately all the other clans had mostly daughters, and the two males were already mated._

"_Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands." The male said, leaning back in his chair. He let out a sigh and prepared himself for what was coming._

"_That arrogant bastard? You send my child to him of all people?" The princess said, standing up from her seat so fast that the chair she was in fell over. "He's already over a century, and not to mention he is pure evil and arrogant and…"_

"_Enough, you will not speak ill of the future mate of your child." The male said, eyeing the daughter with a sharp look. "Sit back down." He said and waiting until she did so. "Now I know that our clan have not been on the best of terms with the Western Lands as of late, but this union will help that." _

"_You know that he is only upset that he could not have me as his mate, and now he is making up for it by trying to take my child!" The princess shouted, placing a hand over the forming bulge in her stomach._

"_Perhaps, but we do not have another choice." The male said, his eyes narrowing as he noticed his daughter about to speak out again. "Enough! This conversation ends here. If the child is female she will be formally betroth at the next Royal Ball, which is being held in Western Palace." He said, going back to his food._

_The princess' eyes filled with tears of anger and sadness, as she stood up again. She looked at her father with motherly rage before running out of the dining hall. _

"_I was the same when you told me about her betrothed." The Lady said, looking from where her daughter had left to her husband. _

"_Indeed you were, she just needs time as you did. Eventually she will come to see the benefits of this." The male said, looking at his wife. The female made a sound of agreement and they returned to eating, the sound of things being thrown about coming from the floor above._

~**XxX**~

'_Flying is amazing.'_ I barked out, turning another flip in the sky. I was enjoying the ability of flight in my true form. Out of all the demon abilities I had learned I had, flying was probably my favorite. I remember my philosophy teacher once saying that humans forever pursued two things: immortality and flight. I now had one and something pretty close to the other. I could fly, and I had learned the life span of demons. Despite human misconceptions that demons were immortal, Kilala had told me they did have a life span. Only demons had a life span over ten times that of a regular human.

It had been a month since I first came to feudal era. I wouldn't say that I had completely adjusted, but I was definitely better suited than the first day I spent here. I eventually had to give up my old clothing and bought a nice kimono here. I couldn't see how Kagome stood being in such tight and revealing clothing. The kimono was nothing special, just a simple black kimono. I was able to pay extra and have the lady put the same symbol from my pendant onto the back of kimono. The paw print was done in red and the dragon done in white. I had ripped the sleeves off, and cut the bottom so that it stopped just below my knees. It had one long tear that ran from the bottom to a few inches below my waist, that allowed me to run better in it.

Having Kilala as a teacher was turning out to be a great and fun experience, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. I had decided since the others, especially Inuyasha, were bent on not trusting me, I wouldn't go out of my way to make them trust me. Instead me and Kilala would often transform and fly off to train in different areas. They group always had the same look when we would return with minor injuries.

To be honest the rest of the group was beginning to trust me, it was Inuyasha that wanted to remain untrusting. The rest of the group had come to understand that I needed to learn self defense and more about being a demon, and they realized that Kilala was the best on for the job. So they usually didn't say anything when we would break off to go train.

There was one part about returning to the group that kept me happy. Ever since the first time we returned from training, I made it my mission to 'accidently' land on Inuyasha, and each time I would say something like "I guess I just haven't gotten the landing down" or "I thought you were a red boulder".

"_How do we know she hasn't killed Kilala? How would Sango feel if we just stayed around here doing nothing while she hurts or kills Kilala?" Inuyasha grumbled, stomping around. I could just barely make out his red clashing against the natural scenery._

"_Do you smell Kilala's blood?" Sango asked, worry clear in her voice. I looked up to where Kilala flew a few feet ahead of me and saw that the neko could sense her companion's worry as well._

'Let's land before Inuyasha convinces them to exterminate you._' Kilala said and I nodded. I made sure to keep a good grip on my staff as we descended. I looked like I was bringing back a stick from an extreme game of fetch. Kilala told me that if I was holding onto the weapon when I changed, I wouldn't have to worry about carrying it around. I asked how that worked, and even she didn't know._

"_Ha! I smell Kilala's blood!" Inuyasha growled. "And Kazuko's!" He pulled the dull sword out, and my eyes widened slightly as I watched it transform back into the giant fang. _

'I think we're too late.'_ I said, as we got closer._

"_There she is! Kilala's trying to get away from her!" Inuyasha shouted and the others looked up to see us. Now that I thought about it, with Kilala injured and flying ahead of me, and my fangs showing from holding my weapon, it probably did look like I was chasing her. _

_As we landed I tried to stop, I honestly did, but that didn't work out so well. I hadn't gotten down landing and ended up crashing into Inuyasha, while Kilala landed in front of Sango. A cloud of dust rose after I landed and I ended up flat on my stomach. I groaned and sat up in a sitting position, and looked around at the others. I could see them all looking at me with confused and suspicious eyes. I could see Kagome, Sango, and Miroku, looking at me that way, and Kilala looked amused. _

'Wait, where is Inuyasha?'_ I thought when I saw Kilala point her nose to the ground under me. _

_I looked down to see Inuyasha squashed under me. _'Oh, found him. It looks like he's good for something, all that hot air in him makes him a soft place to land.'_ I barked getting off of the raging half-breed. Kilala purred in amusement and I stepped back just in time for Inuyasha's sword to miss my chest._

"_Why you mangy dog!" Inuyasha growled and charged at me swinging his sword again._

'I'm the dog?'_ I growled, evading his attacks. _'You smell like you haven't bathed since you were born!'_ I barked, though I knew he couldn't understand me._

_Kilala tried jumping in the way, but that only put her in the way of his next attack. I sped up and pushed Kilala out of the way, and felt the sword slash my side._

"_Got you." The half-demon said as he raised his sword to attack again when I stumbled from the wound._

"_Sit boy!" I heard Kagome yell and I couldn't see how that would help. Well at least not until I saw the rosary around Inuyasha's neck glow, then watched him slam into the ground, face first._

'Now that was cool.'_ I whined, smiling and walking over to the edge of the crater that Inuyasha was now in. _'Who was the mangy dog again?'_ I barked before heading over to Kilala. _'How do I change back?'_ I asked, tired and wanting to explain everything before Inuyasha got up._

'Imagine closing the cage you opened._' Kilala said, taking my staff from me so I could change back._

'Inner demon?'_ I thought, and once again felt myself floating in space staring into the red eyes. _'I want to change back.'

_**As you wish.**__ I heard, then felt as if the power were being retracted back into me._

_When I opened my eyes again I looked down to see my hands and legs. "Thanks Kilala." I said retrieving my staff from the neko and petting her on the head._

Luckily the group had let me explain everything before attacking again. I don't think they fully believed me, but Kilala nodded along with my story, so they went with it.

Inuyasha had been against me traveling with them, but I told him I was coming whether he wanted or not. I needed training somehow and Kilala was the only teacher I had, plus I didn't know much about this world and wanted to find clues to where I came from.

I was pulled from my thoughts as Kilala collided with me in the air and I went crashing to the ground. It was worth it though; as I looked down to see I had landed on Inuyasha. This one an accident, this time. The others held in their laughter the best they could, everyone except for Shippo. He leapt onto my head and laughed at Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha you look like an idiot." Shippo giggled, from his new found safety spot. He had learned that hiding with me was easier than hiding with Kagome. With Kagome, he always got hit before she said 'sit'.

"Why you little runt!" Inuyasha said leaping for the young fox. I took to the air careful of the kit on my head. Inuyasha fell, face forward as he missed. With me, the kit got to avoid getting hit all together and keep up his jokes.

"You don't mind me riding with you for a while, Kazuko?" The kit asked as he moved from my head to my back.

'_Not at all little one._' I growled and he laughed in enjoyment. Everyone had come to see that Shippo could understand me and Kilala just fine, since he was a youkai. It had explained why he would often be talking to Kilala; they had thought it was harmless kid's play until they learned the truth.

"Kagome do you sense any shards?" Inuyasha demanded angrily as he watched Shippo make faces at him from my back.

"No Inuyasha, and the villagers said the demon lives in the mountains. We won't reach the base of the mountians for at least a day." Kagome said, looking up to me with a smile. Kagome and I had discussed Shippo when I had gone back home briefly for a week. I had learned that I would most likely spend more time here, at least till I could learn about where I came from. So I went back to Kagome's time to sign over everything, money and cars and everything else, to Emi. I sent her a letter telling her I was going to tour the world and wouldn't be back. While I was there, Kagome had brought up the topic of Shippo to me.

"_It's good for him to have a full demon in his life. I can only provide so much comfort and help for him, but he needs a full demon that can help him out. Besides, I think your instincts kick in when you're with him anyway."_

I remember her saying this when we were at my house, and she had a point. When I was with the fox kit, I could feel myself doing things that I didn't know I could do. I had found that I could move my tail to curl around the kit. Kilala also explained to me that I could make my demonic aura comforting as I had done once when Inuyasha hit Shippo. It was all fine and good, I didn't really have a problem with. The small fox was fun and adorable, and the fact that he annoyed Inuyasha was a bonus.

Also while I was home, I had been able to buy a black, studded collar and put my pendant on it. I wasn't sure why, but when I transformed, the collar and pendant didn't disappear. They simply grew in size to accommodate my new form.

"Well I still don't see why she has to come along." I really was tired of Inuyasha grumbling about me. I snorted in annoyance before an idea came to me.

'_Shippo, can you ride with Kilala for a moment? I want to teach Inuyasha a lesson.'_ I asked, looking over my shoulder at the kit.

"Sure." He said, jumping onto Kilala's back.

I lowered myself until I was just behind Inuyasha. He turned to look at me with a scowl.

"What do you want now?" He grumbled.

I lifted my paws up so that they were on his shoulder and gave him the most serious look I could in this form.

"I said what…" He stopped as I charged my body.

A light blue light surrounded my body and soon covered Inuyasha's body as I shocked him. His hair frizzed out and a small trail of smoke was coming off him when I pulled away.

I had learned than in this form I could use my electric abilities in three ways. I could expel electricity from my entire body, an attack used when I body slammed an opponent. I could create balls of lighting and shoot them, like fireballs, only with electricity; and I could create a barrier around me made of electricity.

"What was that for?" Inuyasha yelled swiping his claws at me. I didn't move and simply charged my body again, so that when he touched me he was shocked again.

The group couldn't hold in their laughter this time, and soon the road was filled with their laughter. Above me I could hear Shippo laughing and Kilala purring with amusement.

Inuyasha mumbled something about 'traitors' but didn't push anymore. Feeling as if I had gotten my point across, I returned to flying beside Kilala.

"That was funny." Shippo said, still laughing as he jumped back onto my back.

'_Agreed.'_ Kilala roared, flying a bit higher and narrowing her eyes. She opened her mouth to roar again, but this one was a warning instead of speaking.

'_What is it?'_ I asked, flying to where she was and looking where she was. I couldn't see anything. _'I don't see anything.'_

'_Nekos have better sight than Inus so you may not be able to see it, but use your nose. What do you scent?'_ She said, turning her eyes to look at me briefly, but keeping her attention on whatever had her worked up.

I lifted my head and began to sniff. At first all I could smell was the usual smells of the country side: trees, dirt, small animals, and occasional low level demons. As I focused harder, I could smell the group below us, but I was sure that they weren't what Kilala meant. My eyes narrowed as I concentrated harder, and found what Kilala was talking about. I could scent a demon that was powerful. He kind of smelled like Inuyasha, just without the human scent mixed in.

'_It is a full Inu demon?'_ I barked, not sure if that was what Kilala meant. She nodded her head and continued to stare in the direction.

'_That is Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older half brother. They share the same father. He is constantly coming after Inuyasha for the Tessaiga.'_ Kilala said, and I could sense that it was not a good thing.

'_Lord Sesshomaru? What is he lord of?'_ I asked, not sure of demon politics. We hadn't gotten to that part yet.

'_He's the lord of the Western Lands. It looks like he's headed straight for our group.'_ As Kilala spoke the demon in question can into view and I could see that he was walking down the same road towards the group.

"Sesshomaru's here? Should I tell Inuyasha?" Shippo asked, and I could sense that the kit felt uneasy. Again I felt my demonic aura instinctually begin to comfort the kit.

'_Yes, we should land, so that the group isn't caught unaware.'_ Kilala answered and began to descend. I followed, a bit disappointed that I had to give up my flight time.

"Inuyasha! Sesshomaru is on his way here and he's close!" Shippo yelled as soon as we touched down on the ground.

"What was that?" Inuyasha said turning towards us.

"While we were flying, Kilala saw him and Kazuko smelled him." Shippo said, jumping onto my head so that he was eye level with the half-demon and pointing in the direction we had seen Sesshomaru.

"What does that bastard want?" Inuyasha grumbled, turning to see where the kit was pointing. "He's probably just after Tessaiga again."

I was going to ask what was so special about the sword, when I was suddenly hit with a strong demonic aura. Kilala had been right; I didn't need training to know this aura was one to be careful around. The entire group came to a stop as they must have felt it. Inuyasha drew Tessaiga and it transformed into the giant fang.

"Kazuko," Kagome whispered coming beside me. "Maybe you should stay in that form, who knows what Sesshomaru might do. It'll be better this way if things lead to a fight." I nodded, she had a point. If a demon that strong wanted to fight, my best chance would be to do it in this form. I still hadn't learned much on fighting in my other form.

Kagome returned to standing beside Inuyasha just as a figure walked out from the tree line. The white clad demon practically screamed elegance and power. With the sun setting behind him, he looked like something straight out of a romance movie; his silver hair, the fancy clothing, the two swords, the silver fluff that was over his should, and the golden eyes that were looking straight at me.

**Strength.** My inner beast practically purred and I couldn't disagree. Then I realized for him to have come after the sword, he didn't even seem to be paying any attention to Inuyasha.

'_Is he looking at me?'_ I thought moving a bit to the side, then back to where I was. The golden orbs followed each movement, and I got my answer.

"Hey, ya bastard! What do you want?" The golden eyes turned from me to Inuyasha.

"I see you have a new addition to your pack half-demon." Wow, even his voice radiated the same elegance and power his body held.

"So what of it? It's no concern of yours." Inuyasha defended. I wasn't sure if he was defending because he actually liked having me in the group or if he was doing it to get at his brother. I'm going to pretend it was the former.

'_Aw aren't you so sweet.'_ I barked in a teasing manner. The Inu demon looked at me, and I guessed he could understand me. _'Hi.'_ I barked lightly, since he was now giving me the most intense stare I had ever experienced. He didn't say anything, but lifted one silver eyebrow.

"You just going to stand there or you want to fight?" Inuyasha said raising his sword and pointing the tip at the demon.

"Hn," was all the silver demon said, before he turning and disappearing back into the trees.

"That was odd." Sango said, after a few minutes.

"Maybe he was genuinely curious." Miroku said, before a loud slap was heard.

"Pervert!" Sango said storming off. Kilala followed after her companion.

"It was worth the pain." Miroku said now sporting a large, red mark on the side of his face.

"Well this is as good a place as any, so let's set up here for the night." Kagome said, putting her bag down. "Inuyasha can you go get some fire wood?" She asked sweetly and the half-demon walked off to do as asked.

"I'll go assist him." Miroku said, heading off after Inuyasha.

'_Shippo, can you tell Kagome I'm going for a walk? I should be back before the food is ready.'_ I said to the kit.

Shippo nodded as he jumped onto Kagome's shoulder and relayed the message.

"Ok, Kazuko." Kagome said, beginning to pull packs of ramen from her bag.

I noticed Sango and Kilala had headed south, and Inuyasha and Miroku had headed north. _'That leaves east or west.'_ I looked between the two directions. _'West it is.'_ I thought heading in the western direction.

As I walked I couldn't help but think about the golden eyes that had seemed so focused on me.

**Strength is good in a potential mate.** My inner beast said, and I had a puzzled look.

'_What is a mate?'_ I pondered, not paying attention to where I was headed. Suddenly I could smell the same scent from before. _'Sesshomaru?'_ I thought, not realizing I was following the scent. _'Wait, I also smell water.'_ I thought, half a second before I went crashing into a river. I began splashing around until I could pull myself to shore. I lifted my upper body out of the water, groaning as I felt my fur growing heavy from the water. Just my luck, that as I looked up I was met with golden ones.

It seemed like hours that my violet eyes stared into his golden ones. It wasn't until a fish brushed against my paw that I remembered I was still half in a river. Grunting I hauled myself completely out of the river and shook off.

"Who are you and why do you travel with my brother's pack." I don't know why, but I hadn't really expected him to say anything. I thought he would just stare and leave like before.

'_It's a long story. I doubt you're interested.'_ I grumbled, internally wishing that I could warm myself. I enjoyed my electric abilities, but right now I wish I had fire ones, more than just the wings. As if on key I felt my fur heating up, and even saw a faint red glow coming from the tips of my fur. In a few seconds I was back to how I was before, though a little frizzy now.

His silver brow arched as he noticed the heated air around me. His eyes then traveled down to my collar and rested on the pendant on my neck.

"You are of the Ryu-Inu clan, interesting." He said softly, almost as if he was talking more to himself than me.

'_You know of my clan?'_ I asked, and I'm pretty sure his head moved slightly in a nod. _'Please, if you know of my clan, tell me!'_ I said stepping forward slightly. I hadn't meant to sound so excited and desperate, but this was the first new development in a while. _'I need to know where I come from, so please tell me any information about my clan that you know!'_

"If you wish to know information on the clan, then you must first tell me who you are. I will not give information out to one I do not know." He sounded the same as before but somehow smugger than I liked, but I wanted to know about my clan.

'_Fine, my name is Kazuko.'_ I started and prepared to tell my story, but Sesshomaru interrupted me.

"Not now, the half-breed draws near." He said.

Sure enough, when I scented the air I could smell Inuyasha coming towards us and at a quick speed.

"I will not be within the company of the half-breed longer than necessary." He said turning and beginning to disappear into the trees.

'_Wait,'_ I barked. _'You're the only one I know who has information.'_

He stopped briefly to turn and look at me, again his golden orbs holding a powerful intensity to them.

"If you truly want information, then return here tomorrow when the moon is as high as it is now. Come in your demoness form." Was all he said before he disappeared from sight, his presence disappearing as well.

I watched amazed, until I remembered Inuyasha was coming. I knew if he found me hear with Sesshomaru's scent around me, he would use it as another reason to not trust me. Luckily the fall in the river had washed away my scent, so I took to the sky and flew back to camp. I made sure to check the moon position before touching down and turning back to my demoness form.

Inuyasha returned shortly after. He looked at me briefly but didn't say anything. The rest of the night went by uneventful. I retired to leaning against a tree, and Inuyasha, as always, jumped onto a branch above me. While everyone else slept I couldn't keep the silver demon with golden eyes out of my mind.

"_Tomorrow when the moon is as high as it is now." _

His words continued to float through my mind, and I fell asleep to images of silver and gold.


	7. A Secret Deal

**And we're back on scheduale, yay! Happy Friday all.**

**I want to thank the two who have sent reviews, it helps me feel appreciated. For everyone else, thanks for reading, from what the stats show, I have at least 7 people who are faithfully reading this story, and that means a lot. So though reviews are welcomed, just knowing that you're reading is enough to keep me going.**

**Also, I have decided to change Kazuko's true form. Why? Because I found this great picture that screamed "Kazuko's True Form!" Seriously I heard screaming. I'm going to post it on my page if you want to see it. If you don't like it, you can still imaging her in the other form, I doubt it makes that big of a difference to the story. **

**Enjoy ^^**

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><p><strong>~A Secret Deal~<strong>

"_Lord Sesshomaru, permission to enter?" My general said from the other side of the study doors. _

"_Enter." I answered, my voice in its usual business monotone._

_The door opened to reveal a demon that appeared to have just returned from the battle field with urgent news.. He was still in full armor that was custom of the Western army: silver armor with a crescent moon on the front, a red cape, and a red sash with a silver dog on it. As a general, instead of the silver helmet, he had a golden one that he held under his left arm. Though more than all of that what I noticed was he reeked of blood and death._

"_I have returned from my mission." There had been reports of the Eastern Army mobilizing in a Western direction, and I had sent him to investigate the reasoning behind it. "They were not headed to the castle in an act of war." He informed me and I could feel myself relax slightly, inwardly. A war was not something I wanted to deal with at the moment. "But there is bad news." He grew silent as his eyes drifted to the desk I was sitting behind._

"_What is it General?" I asked, folding my hands under my chin, after his silence prolonged._

"_The Eastern Army has laid waste to the Ryu-Inu Clan. There were no survivors found, and the body count equaled everyone in the clan._

_I leaned back in my chair, thinking over what this report meant. I trusted that my General had done an exceptional job in checking through the bodies of the slaughtered clan. I could only think of one reason why the Eastern Army would attack. As had been mentioned at the previous ball, the Ryu-Inu Clan's princess had given birth to a Shogakko, a rare Ryu born with the ability to control all of the basic elements. _

_Every hundred years or so each of the Ryu Clans gave birth to one, or on a rare occasion two. Whenever these rare Ryu's were born, each land would lay a claim and take one. A Shogakko made a powerful weapon for any army and each land would take one to strengthen their army. So far the Southern Lands had gotten one from the Ryu-Neko Clan, and the Northern Lands had one from the Ryu-Tori Clan. My lands had one from the Ryu-Ookami, one my father had secured from a previous battle with the East. _

_This left the East without one, and naturally they wished to lay claim to the new Shogakko. Yet, this Shogakko was already betrothed and to be mated to myself, and the laws of Demon Mating outranked the East's wish. This would bring two Shogakkos to my lands, something the East was against and deemed unfair. _

_So I couldn't say that I was surprised that they would try something such as this. Obviously, they had decided to correct this wrong in their own manner. As being mated wasn't something I was dying to do, this lost didn't upset me from a personal stand point. Yet, since the Ryu-Inus were considered subjects of my land, this massacre would not go unpunished. _

"_Is there anything else?" I asked, bringing my attention back to the General._

"_The East says that they will not attack, since their objective is complete. It appears the Ryu-Inu Clan no longer exists."He said, giving a bow, his voice showing emotion that was unneeded. I had long since learned that emotions did not grant wishes, so their existence was meaningless._

"_You are dismissed." I said, looking back down at the reports that I had been working on. Ironically enough I had been going over the agreement sent from the Ryu-Inu Clan's Lord for the betrothal. _

_**Need mate soon, need an heir.**__ Though my beast was correct, an heir was needed. I was still young, by demon standards, and had plenty of time to find another mate._

'In time, demon.'_ I calmed the beast, leaning back again and closing my eyes. _'In time.'

**~XxX~**

'_So Inuyasha and his brother hate each other?'_ I was enjoying another leisurely stroll through the skies with Kilala, as the group questioned passing merchants. Kagome said that she had started to sense the jewel shards, and wanted to see if the merchants knew anything about the attacks. Shippo was napping on my back, so I made sure to stay aware of him while we flew.

'_Yes, I have yet to see them within scent range of each other without fighting. Which is why I'm still unsure of what to make about yesterday's encounter.'_ Kilala seemed to sigh. _'Sesshomaru hates Inuyasha because he's a half demon, and because Inuyasha inherited their father's sword, something that should have been Sesshomaru's by birth right. Inuyasha responds the only way he knows how, so he hates Sesshomaru right back. We're lucky that they didn't fight yesterday, that's a first.'_

"Hey, Kazuko, Kilala!" We both looked down to see Sango waving us over. We brought ourselves down to a hovering level so that she didn't have to shout. "The merchants told us everything, and said there is a village nearby. With the sun going down, we're going to find an inn and stay the night there." We both nodded, and took back to the skies again.

'_So this Sesshomaru is dangerous?'_ I asked, trying to keep my voice level as to not give anything away. I had learned that showing fear around here was a quick way to get killed, but it was hard not to be afraid of someone who's demonic aura alone felt strong enough to kill you.

'_Yea, it's a good thing he didn't come back. I would steer clear of him as much as you can.'_ Kilala said, and I almost blurted out about last night's encounter. I remembered that Kilala said that her nose wasn't as sharp as mine, and Sesshomaru had been pretty far away from the group.

We flew in silence, circling around the group as they walked the road beneath us. Inuyasha continued to shoot occasional glares up at me.

I was almost sure that there was no way he would be able to trace me to Sesshomaru. The water from the river made sure to clear my scent, and I was pretty sure that Sesshomaru somehow hid his sent. Either way, it appears that Inuyasha was back to his mistrusting ways, not that he really ever stopped.

"Where are we?" I heard a yawn follow the words as Shippo sat up on my back.

'_We're headed to a village to stay the night.'_ I barked to the kit, my aura pulsating with maternal energy.

"Cool, we get to have warm food, a warm bath and a warm bed." He exclaimed hoping on my back.

'_This is the first village we've come to since you've been with us.'_ Kilala said. Now that she mentioned it, other than Kaede's village, I hadn't seen any others.

'_You're right, what should I expect?'_ I asked, noticing smoke in the distance.

'_It depends; villages are never the same; though most will have a mistrust of demons, as most humans do. Some villages even hate demons, but we won't know until we get there.'_ Kilala said and motioned for us to begin our descent. _'If the village sees two demons flying towards it, they will attack immediately.'_

I smiled my eyes locking on Inuyasha. '_Time for my favorite sport: Inuyasha landing.'_ I thought, stretching my paws out slightly. I let out what sounded like a howl of distress and began to appear as if I was losing control. Everyone turned to see me barreling towards them, more specifically Inuyasha.

"Don't you dare you mutt!" Inuyasha growled as he noticed what I was doing. I'm pretty sure he had caught on to my game a while ago, but that was no reason for me to stop.

'_Crash landing!'_ I barked happily, as I came into contact with the half demon. We both slid forward for a few feet, and I jumped off his back just in time for Inuyasha go crashing into a large oak.

"I think that one was the best one yet." Shippo, said jumping onto my head and smiling.

'_Yes, I would agree._' Kilala said, from where she now sat on Sango's shoulder in her smaller form.

The rest of the gang were too busy trying to hold in their laughter, and failing miserably.

"You're all just a bunch of traitors." Inuyasha grumbled from where he stood and turned to face me. "And you." He said, marching up to me. "I ought to cut you up right now." He said, jabbing a finger in my face and pressing roughly against my nose. "So you better not try that again you mu..." His words were cut off as I focused on where his finger was touching my nose, and I sent a large electrical wave through his body. I transformed back into my human-like form and looked down at the barely conscious half-demon.

"I guess I shocked him just a bit too hard." I said, smiling and giving the half demon a nudge with my foot to get him up. He grumbled as he got to his feet, but didn't confront me again.

"You guys fight like siblings, it's almost cute." Kagome said and I gave a light giggle. The group finally let loose their laughs as we headed back towards village. Inuyasha grumbled and turned his back to us.

"Halt, travelers." We heard as we came to a gate. The gate was at least thirty feet high; I couldn't believe that humans of this era had been able to build it without the aid of machines. "What business do you have here?" My eyes came to rest on the guard that was talking to us, with his spear pointed at Inuyasha.

"My kind sir, we seek lodging in your village for the night." Miroku said, stepping forward from the group.

'_Watch this.'_ Kilala mewed, and I tilted my head slightly to the side.

"I sense an evil presence hanging over this village. We would be happy to exterminate it, for lodgings and food." Miroku said in a dramatic flurry of his robe and a swing of his staff.

"Exterminators." The guard said with a smile and pulled his weapon back. "We are glad that you have arrived. We have been having demon troubles and we need your help." He said. "There are two demons who call themselves the Ryu-Inu Twins. They look like the spawn of a dog and dragon. They come to our village every new moon and demand we deliver them two girls, or they attack the village." The guard said, sighing as he spoke. "If you can get them to leave the village alone, we will allow you to stay for free in our village. The new moon is only three days away."

Everyone turned towards me, and I looked back at them with a shocked and injured look. "Hey, I don't know anything about that. I've been with you guys since I got here. Plus, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not male." I said, raising my hands defensively.

"You have yourself a deal sir." Miroku said before anyone else could say anything.

The guard called up to a tower, and the gate slide open. What lay inside the gate had to be the largest village in the history of villages. It was like seeing Tokyo made entirely of huts. The guard led us through the village, and all the people getting their last errands of the day done. The inn was towards the center of the village, and looked like it was one of the newer huts built.

"You will find rooms ready for you here. We hope you enjoy your stay here in the village, feel free to look around the village during the day." He said, before turning and heading back to his spot in front of the gate.

Two women came out to greet and lead us into the inn. Of course, Miroku was immediately hooked, and followed the females into the inn. They were followed by a very pissed off Sango, and the rest of us followed after her with a sigh.

"He'll never learn." Shippo said and we all grumbled our agreements.

**~XxX~**

The food had been good and so had the bath. It felt good to get clean, even if I didn't get to use soap to do so. Now we were all being led to our rooms. They had given us the entire top floor, meaning we each got our own rooms.

"Goodnight everyone." Kagome said, and we all responded appropriately, except for Inuyasha who just 'Feh'ed.

"Kazuko, can I stay in your room?" Shippo asked from my shoulder, sounding a bit unsure of himself. I was a bit surprised, as I had heard he normally slept with Kagome, but as of late he'd been sleeping closer to me.

"Sure you can." I said smiling and leading us to our room.

I entered the room and latched the small wooden lock. It wouldn't do much if someone really wanted to get in, but it was a good way to tell that you wanted privacy. There was a cot in the corner of the room, a small dresser with a mirror attached, and a large window. I placed my staff on the floor beside the cot and sat down on to listen to the others settling into their rooms. Shippo curled up beside me and immediately fell asleep.

I watched the moon until it settled to a certain point. I slowly got up and placed Shippo on the cot.

"Where you going?" Shippo asked sleepily from the cot, his eyes still closed.

"Just stepping out for some fresh air, I'll be back soon." I said, patting his head.

I didn't like lying to the little kit, but I couldn't tell him where I was going. Even if I asked him to keep it a secret, children were known to let things slip.

I slowly opened the window and stepped out, closing it behind me. Jumping to the top of the roof I transformed and silently slipped into the sky. I followed our scent trail back to where we had camped been the night before.

'_Where is that spot?'_ I thought as I looked around. I finally saw the river, with paw prints beside it, from where I had dragged myself out. '_There!' _I thought and landed by the river, and transformed back to my demoness form.

'_I guess I wait now.'_ I thought looking up to the moon's position, strangely not bothered with being alone in the woods at night.

"You have come." I heard his voice come from the other side of the river and had to squint my eyes to see him in the limited moonlight.

"Yes, now can you tell me what you know about my clan?" I asked, stepping forward and jumping over the river, sure not to make a fool of myself again. I landed on the other side, only to come face to face, or rather face to chest, with Sesshomaru. I had always been a bit tall compared to others, but now I know how they all felt compared to me.

"You would do well to remember your place and not make demands of this Sesshomaru." He said in a monotone voice, yet somehow there was an arrogant tone to it that really made me want to hit him.

"I'm not from here. I don't know anything about places or titles or ranks." I said my voice equally as arrogant.

He looked at me, one silver eye brow raised, though he did say anything.

"Can you please help me? I just found out that I'm a demon, or rather demoness, and apparently I'm of the Ryu-Inu Clan. I don't know anything about where I came from, or my clan. I ask that you help me." I pleaded, though I kept my voice level. I didn't wish to lower myself to this jerk, but I was willing to take a tiny shot to my pride if it would get me more on where I came from.

"The Ryu-Inu Clan was wiped out over two decades ago." I got the feeling that he didn't talk much, and getting him to say that was good a good sign.

"What happened?" I asked smiling lightly with relief.

"The Eastern Army slaughtered them, because they were in possession of a Shogakko." He spoke in a bored tone, as if the slaughter of my clan was something as simple as harvesting plants.

"What is a Shogakko, and why was my clan slaughtered for having one?" I asked, trying hard not to let my anger rise.

This time he didn't reply immediately. Instead he turned to walk off, though he looked over his shoulder at me. "Follow."

I hated being ordered around, but my curiosity was too strong to ignore. I followed him, surprised at how fast he moved, though he looked to only be walking.

We came to a stop at a clearing with a few trees knocked over. He took a seat on one of the fallen logs, and I took a seat a few feet across from him.

"A normal Ryu-Inu is born with the ability to control one of the basic elements, with training some can control two. A Shogakko is a Ryu born with the ability to control all of the elements. They are only born around once every hundred years. They are sought after as ultimate weapons. The East wanted the Shogakko, and the Ryu-Inu clan refused to give it up. So the Eastern Army slaughtered the entire clan so that no other could have it." I was sure, that it was rare to get this demon to talk so much, and I was grateful he was giving me answers.

"So they killed my entire clan just for one person? Why didn't they give that person up? It would have saved the clan." I questioned, my voice becoming a whisper by the time I stopped talking. As I thought back to the fire trick by the river and the electricity I could generate, a thought was beginning to form in my head. _'Am I that Shogakko? Am I the reason my entire clan was slaughtered?' _I thought as a cold sense of horror began to climb down my back.

**Indeed.**

"Hn." Was all I got in response, which I didn't mind, I wasn't really looking for an answer.

I already knew my clan was wiped out, so this news shouldn't have surprised me. Still, finding out this information felt like a large weight being pushed down on me. Suddenly I felt the wind picking up, causing the trees to bow slightly against the force.

"_Remember my child, one day you must return and avenge your clan. You are the last of the Ryu-Inu clan. Remember that Misaki."_

As soon as the wind had come, it was gone again. I looked over to Sesshomaru, since he was the only one here besides me; so I assumed he had been the one to speak. He was staring into the woods with a blank expression. Guess I was wrong. Now that I think about it, the voice had sounded feminine, as if I had heard it before.

"So there are no other survivors? I am the only one left?" I asked keeping my eyes trained on the silver demon beside me. His head moved just about a fraction of an inch, but that was enough for me to take as a nod. "Was there a member of the clan named Misaki?"

At that I finally got a reaction out of him, as he turned his head a bit quickly. He seemed to study me over before turning back to the forest and speaking.

**~Sesshomaru~**

'_Misaki.'_ I thought, wondering how she would have been able to know that name. If she was really of the Ryu-Inu clan, which my nose told me she was, she would have been less than a year old when it was slaughtered. As I looked down to the pendant she wore, and glimpses of twenty years ago flashed.

"_My Lord we have just received word from the Ryu-Inu Clan's Lord." My advisor said as he brought forth a scroll, which held the traditional seal of the Ryu-Inu clan. _

_I opened the scroll, and went over the words written. The child born to the princess had been female, making me officially betroth, the child's name being Misaki. A more interesting fact was inserted towards the end of the letter, almost as if they wished it to be unseen; apparently the child was a Shogakko. _

"_The official announcement is set to be declared at the next ball." My advisor informed me. This fox demon was old, even by demon standards. He had advised my father when my father first ascended to his throne. I knew the demon had been setting arrangements for mates for me since I was young, though I have yet to find any of them suitable to bear strong enough heirs. _

_I was not looking for a romantic relationship; I had seen how that ended my father. I simply sought a female that could produce a strong heir, and the Ryu clans were known for their ability to produce such heirs. Their females would produce a pup that was of the male's breed. Thus having a Ryu as a mate, would ensure a pure breed Inu for an heir. _

_**Misaki.**__ My demon practically purred, scribing the name of our future mate into my mind._

"Yes, the Shogakko was named Misaki." I finally responded to the demoness that was staring at me, her violet eyes didn't hide the curiosity that radiated off of her. Her eyes were rare, I had only seen them once; the princess, at the time of the massacre, of the Ryu-Inu Clan had the same eyes. My eyes narrowed as I began to think of what this meant.

"Oh." She said, her eyes going to her lap, and her hand stroking over her tail that rested in her lap.

"What is your name?" I asked, though I knew she had already answered me. I do not remember any records of the princess having more than one child, but those violet eyes only belonged to the royal family.

"Kazuko." She said a bit hesitantly, as if she wasn't sure.

**~Kazuko~**

'_I'm pretty sure he already asked my name, and I'm willing to bet he is not one to be forgetful.'_ I thought searching his face to determine what he was trying to get at.

"How did you escape the slaughter?" His questioned took my completely off-guard. Surely he could see that I was barely twenty, and by the looks of it he could have only been a few years older; couldn't he detect that I would have been an infant at that time.

"I…I don't know. I don't remember much before I was adopted by my parents." I said, hugging my tail closer to my body. "I just found out I was a demon a month ago." I pretty sure he was slightly confused by my word choice from the way his stare at me changed. "I was found by humans and raised by them, apparently my demonic abilities had been sealed. I just released my demonic abilities a month…moon ago," I said, remembering the terms I heard the group use.

"You were raised by humans." He repeated, his voice holding something that sounded like hate and contempt.

I didn't feel a need to respond, guessing he was just confirming the information. From what I had heard of other demons, I was guessing he was probably one of the most civilized demons I would run into. So if I didn't ask him I was guessing I probably wouldn't get another shot at asking someone.

"Can you teach me to be a demon?" I blurted out, rather loud and a bit quickly. He lifted his eyebrow at me again, and I had to calm myself. "What I mean is, I don't really know how to be a demon. I've thought I was a human for as long as I can remember. I need someone to help me learn to be able to be a demon. Kilala is helping me the best she can, but I know I need a teacher, like you, who can teach me everything." He didn't seem as bad as the group had said.

He was silent for a long time. It felt like hours before he spoke, though the movement of the moon told me it was more like a minute.

"For the time being." He said, and I could feel a smile spread on my face. I didn't know why, but I felt as if this was a huge deal, for this demon to say yes.

"Thank you. When will you help, where should we meet? The group moved around a lot, so how will I be able to find you? What kind of help are you going to give? How do you know about my clan? Where are you from?" I had so many more questions, but he lifted a hand to stop me from talking.

"From now on, when the moon is where it was when we met, you will leave the group. Once you've gotten far enough away from the half-breed I will come to you." He said and I nodded dumbly. "You would do well to bring your weapon if you have one." He said, and I remembered I had left my staff in the inn with Shippo. I looked up to see that the moon had almost completed in its descent and the sun's ray were beginning to show.

"I should get going before the others get up." I said, standing and looking at the silver demon. Normally I would offer my hand in a gesture of thanks, but I was unsure what demons were supposed to do. Instead I decided on a small bow, one that barely bent at the waist.

"I do not wish for interruption by the half-breed or his human pets." He said, and I wasn't completely sure that I liked the way he spoke of Kagome and the others. Yet, I still remembered how deadly his aura was and decided against speaking out against it. Though Kilala had said my aura was similar to his in strength, I wasn't about to trying to fight him. Even if we were equal in strength, he knew how to use his, and I would be crushed. Instead, I gave a small nod and sprinted back to the inn.

**~Sesshomaru~**

'_She is an interesting female_.' I thought as I stood and headed back to where I had left my wards.

While mates were the last thing on my mind as of late, with Naraku still around, I couldn't over look that she was still a Ryu-Inu, which meant she could still produce a strong heir. Since she was raised by humans, she wouldn't have an official male guardian.

Demon mating laws stated that without a male guardian, any unmated female could be claimed by any male that laid claim on her and could maintain claim. I would make sure I laid my claim before anyone else was foolish enough to do so, and even if they were to, I could easily kill off any potential suitors.

**Her attitude must be changed. **My inner demon was still fuming from her lack of respect, something I could understand. Yet, if she had truly been raised by humans it couldn't have been anywhere nearby, so I doubt she would know anything about demon hierarchy.

'_Once mated, I will simply force her into the proper female submission.' _My inner beast gave a growl of approval at my solution. But before all of that, I would train her. It would serve no purpose to have a mate that could not adequately protect my heirs and herself, should I not be around.


	8. Endless Training

**Ok, so here it is the 2nd to last of my pre-made chapters. **

**Not really much to say, other than I finally posted the pic of Kazuko's true form on my Author's Page. **

**And as always, reviews are very welcomed but not manditory. **

**Enjoy ^^**

* * *

><p><strong>~Endless Training~<strong>

"_Lord Sesshomaru? I do not mean to offend, but is it not said that he is of a cold-hearted nature?" The lord of the Ryu-Inu clan questioned as he looked towards the old fox demon sitting across from him. The fox demon was the advisor to Lord Sesshomaru._

"_Yes, that is what is said of him." The fox demon seemed tired as he spoke, I remembered he had also served the great InuTaisho so he was aged and no doubt weary. "But you must understand the position we are in. He seems to find trouble in finding a 'worthy mate', as he puts it. Though he is still a young lord, it is expected of him to be mated, which he is not. Thus, he is in need of a mate within the next two decades if he is to retain his father's lands, if he does not mate within that time his lands will be taken from him. Surely you must know what that means." The old demon said, the end of his words being punctuated by coughs._

_The Ryu-Inu knew exactly what it meant. When one of the four lords of the North, South, East and West had their land taken, war ensured. Demons flocked in from all over to try and claim the lands. As a matter of fact, that's how the Great Dog General had come to be the Western Lord. The previous lord before InuTaisho had been a bat demon, who had mysteriously died. Some say it was accidental, most thought it to be assassination; either way he had yet to have an heir so the lands became free game. InuTaisho was able to gain control of the lands after only a decade of fighting._

"_So you have heard that my daughter is with child?" The lord asked, clearly understanding where this conversation was headed. _

"_Yes, I ask that you allow the child, if female, to become betroth of Lord Sesshomaru." The fox demon was clearly desperate. "It would bring your clan great honor, and it is well known of mating potential of Ryu-Inu females to make strong heirs. Even Lord Sesshomaru cannot deny that a female of your clan would make a worthy mate."_

_The Ryu-Inu lord couldn't overlook the honor it would bring his clan. It would help to elevate their status. He already knew how his daughter would react, but as the head of, not only his clan but also his family, he knew the decision was up to him. Whatever he decided, she would have to agree._

"_I accept your offer. My grandpup, if female, shall be betrothed to Lord Sesshomaru." _

_The fox visibly relaxed at hearing the male agree. He knew even Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to deny how valuable a female of the Ryu-Inu clan would be as a mate._

"_I thank you very much. I will inform Lord Sesshomaru immediately." The fox said standing and shaking the Clan Lord's hand. "Best wishes for your clan." He said, as he was escorted out by a guard._

**~XxX~**

The fox demon thought back on the conversation with a sigh. He had thought he had finally solved the problem of finding a mate for his lord, if only he had known the tragedy that was to befall that clan. That meeting had been nineteen years ago, and still Lord Sesshomaru roamed the lands mate-less. The TaiYoukai only had till the end of next year's mating season to find a mate, or his title would be stripped from him.

'Fifteen moons, I hope you are searching for a mate Lord Sesshomaru.' The fox thought as he went back to his duty of going through royal documents while his lord was gone.

**~Kazuko~**

"So where were you last night?" Inuyasha had been in my face all day asking the same questions. If I hadn't known better, I would swear those were the only words he knew.

"For the, well I've lost count," I started, trying to go over how many times we had had this conversation. "Anyway, like I keep saying, I don't know what you're talking about. I slept in the inn just like everyone else." I said, rolling my eyes. "Why are you so caught up on it?" I asked.

"I came to your room last night and you weren't in it." He said, holding a triumphant look on his face.

"Why were you in my room?" I demanded his smug look fading as I did.

"I was checking in on everyone." He snapped back.

"Also, my room was locked, how did you get in?" I said, starting to become a bit angry as I thought about it.

"Well, I…" He started, and I could tell what he had done.

"You broke into my room!" I shouted, my aura pulsing slightly with the anger I felt. Inuyasha's ears flicked back at the feel of my anger, though I admired him for standing his ground. A few of the villagers around us stopped what they were doing and looked over at us with slightly fearful looks. I sighed and calmed myself down so not to alert the villages; but even that was difficult because Inuyasha had been following me around all day.

"Why are you even following me around?" I asked once I finally calmed myself and continued walking through the village market. "Shouldn't you be with Kagome or something?"

"She said she had to study for those stupid test things, so she sent me away." He grumbled, and I almost felt bad for him.

He looked so down at the mention of Kagome being away, almost like a lost puppy without its master. The thought caused me to giggle slightly, and he shot me a look.

"What's so funny?" He snorted, and I was willing to bet he already had an idea of what I was thinking.

"Oh nothing Inuyasha, nothing at all." I said sprinting off, leaving him to try and keep up.

Miroku was off flirting with village girls, so naturally Sango was out chasing him. Shippo had wanted to go collect some acorns and things for his fox magic, and I had him take Kilala with him for protection. Then, like Inuyasha said, Kagome was off in the inn studying. So that explained why Inuyasha was so keen on bothering me; I was the only one not doing something.

In all honesty I was trying to rest. Kilala had been pushing our training sessions extra hard. She told me that she wanted to make sure I was ready for the battle coming up on the new moon. For some reason, though she wouldn't tell me why, she said that they were going to need my help much more than I thought.

"Why don't you go find something to do? Like get ready for the new moon." I suggested, having come to realize they spoke in moon cycles when referring to months.

What I didn't expect was the sudden amount of anger that radiated from him, as he came crashing into me. He had his sword drawn at pointed at me; before I could fully process that he had knocked me over.

"What do you know about the new moon? I knew you were a spy!" He growled and I looked up at him with a mixture of shock and anger.

"What are you talking about? Get off." I growled, my anger building up again. I can't say for sure what happened next, because I think I blacked out.

**~XxX~**

The only thing I remember is waking up surrounded by trees, with the moon was rising, a scratch on the side of my face, the ground was demolished, and a frozen Inuyasha beside me.

Wait…? Inuyasha? Frozen?

'_Oh, shit, what happened?' _I thought as I quickly got up and circled around Inuyasha. He was surrounded in a block of ice, but from the way his eyes followed me I could tell he was still alive. Listening closely I could hear a soft growling coming from the block of ice.

"Inuyasha! What happened to you? Kagome will kill me if she sees this. Why are you the only one frozen? Where is everyone else? Why aren't we in the village anymore?" The questioned continued to spill from me at light speed, until I heard a louder growl coming from Inuyasha. "Oh right, unfreezing you." I said, walking up the ice and putting my hands on it. I remembered how it had worked by the river, and I didn't really have any other options.

'_Please heat up.'_ I thought, feeling something stir within me.

**I shall grant you the use of our fire, though you are still so untrained. **I heard the voice say as my hands began to heat up. I didn't feel a difference, but I could see the waves of heat coming from my hands. The ice began to melt; hopefully I could get it all melted before anyone else noticed. I had to know how Inuyasha had gotten like this, and I had this sinking sensation that I already knew.

**~Inuyasha~**

I was going to kill her when she melted me. I couldn't believe what had happened. The only thing that made me feel a bit better was that the ice wasn't killing me. It was cold, but not freezing. It almost seemed as if it had just been done to keep me still rather than kill me. Maybe that's what she had wanted. I clearly recalled what had happened nearly half a day ago.

"_What do you know about the new moon? I knew you were a spy!" I growled and she looked up at me with a mixture of shock and anger. _

"_What are you talking about? Get off." She growled, her eyes bleeding red. She reminded me of my brother when he got pissed._

"_You heard me. You're a spy sent to attack on the new moon, aren't you?"I was snarling low and the villagers were beginning to evacuate the market row and retreat to their homes._

"_For the last time I'm not a spy!" She growled, her voice becoming deeper with demonic rage, though still managing to stay feminine. I could tell she was losing control, like when I went full demon and I knew I had to get her out of the village. _

"_Yea you are, and I'm going to take you out." I said, slashing her side and jumping off. I was hoping she would follow me out of the village so we could settle this. She took the bait and I led her out of the gate and into the surrounding forest. She gained on me a lot quicker than I had planned. Before she could attack me, I spun around Tessaiga pointed at her. _

_I almost gasp at the Kazuko looking back at me. She was no longer the calm demoness that had traveled with us. Instead her hair seemed raged and whipped behind her with an invisible wind; her eyes were completely red with no pupils. The markings on her face had become raged, the stripes looking more like lighting. Her fangs had grown in size and length so that they poked out of her mouth, in a silent snarl. Her claws were longer and sharper; and I could have sworn I saw scales on her arms. _

_The strangest part was the new markings that sprung up around her body. Around her right wrist a red dragon appeared, the head of the dragon rested in her palm, and the body coiled around her arm up to her elbow. The same happened on her left wrist, only this one was blue. Around her right ankle a brown dragon appeared, the head on her foot and the body coiled around her leg to the knee. Her left ankle had a similar dragon on it was silver. _

_Despite all that, there was one that drew more attention than the others. A yellow dragon appeared around her waist; the head stopping just above her belly button. The body of the dragon wrapped around her waist twice and the tail dipped down to her…well no need to go any further. _

"_I'm going to kill you, before you can attack the group." I announced, rushing towards her. I raised Tessaiga above my head and prepared to strike._

_She did move, not even to get her staff from her back. Instead her eyes narrowed and the brown dragon around her ankle began to spin. I gave it a confused look, before she stomped her foot and a pillar of earth rose in front of me. I barely had time to stop myself from slamming into it. "Wind Scar!" I yelled and destroyed the pillar, reducing it to a mound of rubble. The brown dragon stopped swirling, and I'm pretty sure she smirked at me. _

"_I told you I'm not a spy!" She said, a snarl lacing her words. "Will you just listen to me?"_

"_Yea right!" I said charging forward to attack again. This time the red dragon began swirling and she held up her right hand. A large fireball formed in her palm and she hurled at me. I didn't really mind, since I knew the Robe of the Fire Rat would protect me. I passed through the flame, which she growled in annoyance at, and brought my sword down. _

"_Wind Scar!" I yelled again. She raised both her hands in time for the white dragon to begin swirling. Just as the Wind Scar was about to hit her, a large gust of wind, similar to Kagura's Dance of the Dragon, dispelled the attack. _

"_That attack! I knew you were with Naraku!" I snarled, charging at her again._

"_Will you just stop and listen to me!" She yelled, the blue dragon beginning to swirl. I wasn't sure what was about to happen, but I continued to charge anyway, figuring she was out of surprises. I was wrong. Just as I was about to raise Tessaiga again, I found myself surrounded in water. Before I could escape the water it froze, leaving me stuck as I was. Just as I froze, Kazuko passed out, her aura shrinking and her body returning to normal, almost normal. The yellow dragon around her waist remained._

And now here I stood, half a day later, watching her thaw me out. I'm almost sure she didn't remember anything, especially from the way she had looked when she spotted me. I continued to growl throughout her questions, thankful when she caught the hint and began to melt the ice around me.

Even though the rest of my body was still frozen, as soon as my head was free I began to unleash my rants on her.

**~Kazuko~**

'_I should have unfrozen his body first.' _I thought as I listened to Inuyasha ranting at me.

"What the hell are you doing leaving me like that? Better yet, what are you doing freezing me?" Those words made me look up at him with wide eyes.

"I did this?" I asked, looking back to the block of ice that was mostly melted. The only part left was his legs, and I was tempted to leave those frozen.

"Is there anyone else here?" He snapped, and he was right. As I took in the scents around me, I realized we were the only ones around until the village.

"But, how?" I whispered, though he still heard me.

"The hell if I know. First you're throwing pillars of dirt, throwing fire at me, and creating tornados; what the hell are you?" He demanded, and it was a good question. A question I didn't know the answer to it.

"I apologize for what happened. To be honest, I don't remember anything that happened after you tackled me in the village." I said, stepping back when he was fully thawed out. He grumbled something, but didn't respond.

"Inuyasha? Are you out here?" I could hear Kagome calling. I held in a giggle as I watched his ears perk up. He gave me one last glare before running of towards the sound of Kagome's voice.

I let him go, my mind still trying to process what had happened. I tried to recall everything that happened and took a seat on a tree stump. As I sat, I noticed a yellow mark around my waist. Inspecting closer, I noticed it was a dragon. The head was just above my belly button, wrapped around my waist twice, and the tail stopped… woah._ 'When did that get there?'_

**I unleashed our full power. **The voice responded, and I knew what my first question for Sesshomaru would be.

Speaking of Sesshomaru, I realized just how long I had been sitting there thinking. The moon was beginning to come up.

'_I should be going.' _I stood and began walking towards where I had met the silver demon the night before.

**~XxX~**

I arrived at the spot to see the silver demon looking straight at me. He stood in the center of the clearly, his eyes closed. The way the moon hit him, along with how still he was, I could have mistaken him for a statue.

"You are late." He said simply, opening his golden eyes slightly and looking straight at me.

"There was a bit of an incident." I said, refusing to apologize hearing the tone of his voice. "Speaking of which, I have a question." I added, watching as he fully opened his eyes. "Do demons black out?" I asked, then thought about how stupid that probably sounded. "I mean do demons ever have so much demonic energy going through them that they forget what happened?"

I we stood there in silence for at least thirty minutes, before he finally answered me. "One unused to the powers would, as you say, black out." He said, his eyes shifting towards my stomach. I looked down to look at the dragon I knew he was gazing at. "You did not have that before."

"Oh yea, I got in a fight with Inuyasha and it kind of appeared." I said, tracing a claw along the dragon.

I looked up at the sound of a sword being drawn. He held one of his blades perpendicular across his body.

"We shall begin." Before I could even react he had disappeared from where he stood. I didn't even get the time to look around for him, before I felt cold steel at my neck and a strong presence standing behind me. I felt my inner demon stirring and preparing for battle at the feel of such a strong presence in such close proximity.

"You're dead." He said plainly, lowering his sword and taking a step back.

"I wasn't ready." I protested, taking my staff in hand.

"An enemy shall not wait for you to prepare." He said simple. "Again." He stated and disappeared.

I was slightly more ready this time as I tried to follow his movements. Surprisingly, I was able to concentrate and focus on where he moved. I could tell he was moving much faster than any human could hope to move,. He came up behind me again, and instinctually I raised my staff to block the sword from making contact with my neck. I pressed forward and jumped to the other side of the clearing.

"Ha." I said proudly, standing up straight with a wide grin. While I was busy gloating inwardly, I didn't notice he had moved again. Once again I felt the cold steel against my throat, though this time he was standing directly in front of me. I looked straight forward, staring straight into his chest where his armor resided.

"You are dead." I'm not sure if it was the monotony in his voice, or the fact that he had gotten me again that made me so pissed, probably both. I growled and gripped the blade of the sword. He raised his eyebrow at my actions and I smirked. I let the electricity build before I let it loose. The steel blade worked perfectly as a lightning rod and I could see the electricity flow through his body by the way his hair and clothes frizzed slightly.

He gave a low growl and yanked his sword back. Since I was holding the sword by the blade, my hand was cut deeply when he pulled the sword away. I winced at the wound, though it didn't hurt as much as I would have thought it would have.

"Interesting." He said a bit quietly and I looked from my hand to him. He was staring down at my stomach, probably at the dragon again.

"So are you going to help train me, or are you just going to keep attacking me?" I asked with annoyance in my voice.

He didn't answer, instead he just disappeared again.

'_Guess that's my answer.' _I thought a bit sourly, trying to sense where he went. I sensed him coming from my right, so I raised my staff and brought it down. My staff caught his sword as it was swinging at my side. I pushed back and jumped back a few feet, this time staying alert.

Again he disappeared, and I waited for his strike. _'Behind me.' _I thought and turned in time to block the attack. I didn't even have to push this time, because he disappeared again.

'_Side, wait no behind. Wait, I can't tell.' _I began to panic as I couldn't figure out where the next blow was coming from._ Wait! Above.' _I was just barely able to step out of the way of the attack as a sword came slashing down from above me. I didn't completely avoid it, as I felt the fabric of my kimono being torn on the shoulder from the edge of the blade.

"Better." He said quietly, so quietly I'm not even sure he said it, and swung the sword at me again.

Fighting him was a lot different than fighting Inuyasha. For one he had cold calculations behind his movements; he wasn't just thrashing his sword about. Even as he missed it was clear he had several other options ready in case his first strike didn't move. Second, he moved with such grace that it seemed more like a lethal dance than a fight. I had to make sure that I didn't get caught in the trance of watching his movements.

We spent the rest of the night perfecting this deadly dance. I was thankful for more quick progress, though I knew it would take years of training to achieve his level of fighting. The end of my staff was now covered in blood from the wound on my hand I had yet to bandage. I didn't have time to think about that wound though, because by the time the sun rose I had plenty more.

Most of my wounds were minor ones; I only had four wounds that would need serious and immediate treatment. Of course there was the wound on my hand, then there was a deep slash behind my left shoulder from when I wasn't able to turn fast enough, there was also a slash to my stomach, and a cut down my thigh that had ripped my kimono on the other side. I would need something the kimono repaired or replaced.

"Enough." I heard the quiet command, and saw Sesshomaru sheath his sword. Nodding, I placed my staff back across my back.

"You will return tomorrow night. You're defensive skills are at a suitable level, though I suspect that is due more to instinct than skill. Tomorrow I will see to your attacks." He said, turning and heading into the forest.

I watched him go, my breath coming in heavy pants making my shoulders heave. _'So, how to explain this? I know Inuyasha will smell the blood before I even reach the village.' _I thought looking around, not wanting to return to the village in my current state. _'Wait, there should be a river near here.' _I sniffed the air and smiled as I located the river.

It didn't take long for me to get all my wounds clean, and I watched in amazement at how the wounds mended themselves as I cleaned them. By the time I finished, all the minor wounds were gone, and the four major wounds were now scars.

As I walked into the village I stopped at the door to the inn. _'Clothes.' _I thought and headed back to the market street. Most of the shops were opening for the day. I remembered a shop with nice kimonos and headed back to it. The shop owner was a middle aged couple who seemed to be friendly.

"Welcome, demoness." The man said kindly as I walked in. "Have you come to browse our things?" He asked, and then noticed my torn clothing. "Oh, let's get you something to wear." He disappeared towards the back of the shop and returned with his wife.

"Oh dear, we'll need to get you fitted for a kimono." She said leading me to the back and taking my measurements. "I think we have just the kimono for you. Kai could you bring the black kimono we just got in last week?"

I could hear the man searching for the kimono before he returned to the back and handed his wife a package.

"We'll let you change." She said, as her and Kai walked back to the front of the store.

'_They're nice.' _I thought opening the package and taking out the kimono. _'Wow.' _I thought looking at the kimono and putting it on. It was black and made of a silk/cotton mix, sleeveless, and came down just above my knees. The collar was in a v-shape and gave off a reserved view of my cleavage, and a golden obi that tied in the back to look like two golden tails. It looked nice along with my violet tail between the gold. The kimono had a golden dragon pattern coming from the right shoulder that curled around my waist and had the tail end where my tail was. It fit perfectly, snug and loose in all the right places.

"I love it, but I'm afraid I can't afford it." I said, coming to the front of the store.

"Don't worry about it, Ms. Demoness. Consider it a thank you for taking care of those nasty Ryu-Inu demons." The woman said, and I inwardly flinched.

"Thank you very much, and my name is Kazuko." I said, bowing slightly at them.

"Well then good luck against the demons tomorrow night." Kai said waving at me as I left.

I waved back at them and headed back towards the inn. Before I could even get a few steps away, a flurry of red landed in front of me.

"Where have you been?" I sighed as I heard Inuyasha.

"Good morning to you too, Inuyasha."

"Where have you been?" He asked again, his eyes narrowing at me.

"You sound like a broken record." I sighed.

"A what?" It was almost cute the way his ears twitched in confusion.

"Ask Kagome." I responded, and was mildly amazed when he walked off mumbling about 'finding Kagome' and 'what is a record'.

'_That was surprisingly easy.' _I thought with a giggle and head back into the inn.

Since we still had two days till the new moon, I figured I could sleep a little during the day. The moment I laid down, I happily drifted off to sleep.

"_Arise." _

_I groaned as I opened my eyes, thinking it was Inuyasha coming to question me some more. Yet as I opened my eyes I realized that I was laying on the floor of a nice dojo and not back in the inn._

"_Where am I?" I asked, standing up and looking to where a male demon stood. He wore an outfit similar to Inuyasha's but his was all silver._

"_You are still asleep and in the inn. We have been sent to you." He said and I tilted my head in confusion. It was when he said 'we' that I looked around and noticed we were not alone. There was two more male demons, each wearing the same outfit only one's was red and the other's was brown. There were also two female demons wearing kimonos similar to mine, but theirs were solid yellow and solid blue._

"_Guide me? Guide me in what?" I asked, looking at each of them, feeling as if I should know them._

"_We are to guide you in avenging your clan, our clan. We are the five original Ryu-Inus and we each possess ability in each of the give elements you possess. We shall train you in your dreams so that you can be prepared for your coming battles." This time one of the demoness spoke._

"_So prepare yourself, we shall not go light on you." The demon in brown said as they assumed a battle pose._

'_Oh great, just when I thought I was going to get some rest.' I thought wearily, but still took a similar battle stance._

"_Let us begin!" The demon in silver said as I felt a blast of wind rush past me._


	9. Where Does He Go

**I know this is late don't kill me! (*looks out for angry readers*)**

**I truly am sorry, but I have a legitamite reason. The laptop I just bought only TWO weeks ago broke down on me! Can you believe that I spend hundreds of dollars on what is supposed to be a good laptop and it breaks in two weeks! I was highly pissed. But I was unable to work on my stories.**

**So I'm going to try and make up for it. I'm not sure how yet, but I'll figure out a way. I was going to put out an Author's Note, but then I realized that would just be mean. You would see that a new chapter was up, and then you find out it's only an Author's note. I know how disappointed I get when that happens, so I didn't want to do that to y'all. I hope you can find it in your hears to forgive me. Pwease.**

**Here is the next chapter. Thanks everyone for the reviews, they really help keep me motivated. Keep them coming.**

**So here it is, the next installment of Where I Belong.**

**Enjoy. ^^**

* * *

><p><strong>~Where Does He Go~<strong>

"_Who was that?" The Lady of the Ryu-Inu's asked, watching her mate enter their bed chambers stiffly. _

"_A half demon made of a collection of demons. It is clear he was human at some point, but he has given himself to the many demons that now make up his body and soul." The Ryu-Inu Lord stated as he sat beside his mate on their lavish bed._

"_What did he want, to have you so upset?" She asked, pulling herself into his lap an intertwining her mokomoko with his. _

"_He asks for our daughter's hand in marriage in return for the Shikon Jewel." The male growled at the thought of even considering such things. _

"_Tsuyoshi has only been dead less than a month and he dare ask for our widowed daughter as his mate? Everyone knows the Shikon Jewel was burned with that priestess' body and no longer exist. Does he take us for fools?" The female said, managing to keep her composer though it was clear that she was inwardly fuming. _

"_Indeed I sent the insolent whelp away and threated his death should he think to return to our clan lands."_

"_I am relieved that you have done so." The lady said, relaxing against her mate's chest. They sat as such, enjoying one another's company until the distinct sound of the daughter's footsteps coming down the hall._

"_Her scent is different; it is not so strong in grief. There is a strong scent of joy." The clan lord observed with curiosity. _

"_Indeed, let us see what has her in this change of mood. She has been so deeply depressed since Tsuyoshi's passing. I would love to know what has brought our daughter such joy._

_The two watched as their door was thrown open and their daughter entered the room. _

"_Mother! Father! I have such good news." The younger demoness said, tears streaming down the sides of her face._

"_Well then, do not keep us in waiting my daughter. Please share with us this joy that has brought you to tears." The father said, as he and his mate stood to stand before their daughter. _

"_I am with pup!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around a very shocked clan lord and lady._

_The Ryu-Inu lady took a deep breath and scented out her daughter, a smile spreading on her face as she did. _

"_Indeed you are my daughter. We are so happy for you." The older demoness said, embracing her daughter back._

"_We will have it announced at once. The Ryu-Inu's will have an heir after all!" The father proclaimed in a roar. The entire house seemed to pause as they heard the roar and cheered. _

"_Tsuyoshi. Our child will be wonderful, and I know you will watch over them." The princess said softly, placing her hand on her still flat stomach._

**~XxX~**

_I'm going to die.' _I thought, barely managed to avoid another swing from Sesshomaru's blade. It had become obvious that this wasn't a simple sparing session. He was going hard against me, though I had a feeling that he wasn't going all out. The only thing that truly bugged me about it was that I had no reason why he had suddenly gotten so vicious in his sparring.

Tomorrow was the night of the new moon, and I was pretty sure I was going to die before then. For the past day and a half, I had been doing nothing but training.

Kilala trained me during the day, making sure I was able to handle myself for tomorrow's battle, while also teaching me more about demon culture.

Sesshomaru's night training came next. He didn't bother starting off easy. As soon as I was far enough from the village he was surprise me with an attack. Thanks to him I had to buy another kimono. One I could wear to his sessions, and one I wore during all other times.

And finally, there was the new sleep training. The five Ryu-Inus, visited every time I went to sleep; sometimes even when I was only daydreaming! They helped me hone my elemental skills, and told me that my primary ability was electricity, so it was naturally strongest. They also mixed in history lessons of the clan in with the training, so that I felt as if I were in school.

Naturally this sleep training meant that I didn't truly get any rest. So now I was facing almost forty-eight hours with no resting sleep, with three different training sessions, each pushing me beyond my limits.

I will admit that I didn't feel as tired as I would have thought, probably thanks to being a demon; but it was still starting to wear on me.

"You are dead again." The words broke through my training of thought as I felt a cold steel point press against my breast bone. If Sesshomaru had wanted, he could have easily pierced through my heart and killed me.

"Ok, ok you got me." I said lifting my staff to push his sword away.

"You are distracted." His lowered his sword and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm tired." I corrected, though admittedly at the moment of his last attack I had been a bit distracted.

"Tired?" The way he said the words, was almost as if it was foreign.

"Yes, tired. You know, like when you over work yourself?" I said, frowning as he held the same look. "Demons do get tired, right?" I added quietly as an afterthought.

"No." Was all he said and I felt like burning the blank expression off of his face.

The only thing that saved him was what my spirit trainers had told me. No one must know about my other powers until the time was right. I had already displayed my electrical abilities, so that was the only one I was allowed to show. The only problem being I'm not sure how much Inuyasha saw. He never told me what happened, just that I was the one that froze him.

"You may return to the humans." He said, and I looked up seeing that we still had a few hours till dawn.

"I said I was tired, not done. Just let me have a break." I said, taking a seat and placing my staff beside me.

"I have other things to attend to." He didn't leave me anytime to respond, before he took off into the skies, his silvery cloud looking like a soft pillow. I almost envied his cloud, but my wings were more than enough for me.

I was about to turn and return to the village, until another idea, or rather voice, arose.

**Follow him.** I wasn't sure what my inner demon wanted, but my curiosity was strong enough for me to listen.

I transformed into my true form and let my feathery wings ruffle out. Kilala had taught me how to mask my scent and aura, so I let myself become like a ghost. One would have to see me to know I was there.

It wasn't until Sesshomaru was just barely still in my scent range that I began to follow him. I kept to the ground, since I was pretty sure he would notice a giant dog with wings following him.

'_This is much harder than I thought it would be.' _I thought as I struggled to keep up. I couldn't see him thanks to the thick tree coverage in the forest, and his scent was so faint since he was flying. A saving grace was that I was upwind of him, so even if my scent wasn't covered he wouldn't be able to detect me.

I gave a low growl as I stumbled over another fallen tree, cursing the silver demon that had captured my attention. Before I could get too caught up in my annoyance and turn back, three more scents hit my nose: A human, and two demons. The demons made sense, since I had learned from the others, and Sesshomaru's own actions, that he clearly disliked humans.

Yet there was a human scent, and a young female one at that. I thought perhaps the demons were attacking the young girl. Hearing the whispers from the villagers of what demons did to young girls, made my blood boil as I thought of another innocent girl going through that.

I took my attention from Sesshomaru and figured he could wait. As I scented the air, I couldn't smell any distress coming from the girl, or malice coming from the demons. Actually now that I took a proper smell, the human seemed extremely happy, one of the demons seemed amused and the other slightly annoyed.

What I didn't notice was that while I was thinking this over, I was still running forward. It wasn't until I came out of the trees and felt the blast of youkai that I came to a stop, face to face, or rather face to snout with Sesshomaru. Even though he looked indifferent, there was a slight change in his facial expression and a flux in his scent that led me to believe he was annoyed.

The girl's scent flashed from curious to scared and continued to move back and forth between the two. The other demons I now recognized as a two-headed dragon and a small imp looking demon immediately turned their attention to me. The imp and dragon seemed to get defensive and stood in front of the girl.

Even though the silver demon didn't move I could read his eyes well enough and guess what he wanted to know what I was doing there.

'_What to say, what do say?' _I thought trying to come up with something that didn't sound as pathetic, as 'I just wanted to see where you go'.

'_I smelled the two demons and the human girl, and thought she was being attacked. So I was coming to the rescue?' _I barked, though the last part came out as more of a question. He didn't respond so I immediately added. _'But I'm guessing they're with you, so there is no reason to worry.' _

I finally got the slightest dip of his head, and smiled as I took it for a nod.

"Hello doggy." I looked down as I felt a small body wrap around my front left leg. I didn't know what to do as I saw the girl hugging me with no clear intention to let go.

'_She must be with them, or else there is no way she could be so comfortable with a random demon like this.'_ I thought, looking back up at Sesshomaru. His eyes held something in them, different than his usual indifference, but I couldn't quite tell what it was. He apparently noticed my gaze and turned, heading towards the two headed dragon.

Giving an inward shrug I sat on my hind legs and used my front paws to pull her into a dog-like hug. She giggled and seemed content against my soft fur. She sighed and I felt eyes on me, but refused to look up to meet the liquid gold eyes that I knew were staring.

"You insolent mutt how dare you assume Lord Sesshomaru would waste his time attacking a human child! Rin get away while I vanquish this demon." I heard the words just before something made of wood bashed my head.

The first place I looked up to was over where Sesshomaru was resting against a tree. His eyes widened just a fraction, of a fraction, of a centimeter. _'Ok so it wasn't him.' _I thought then turned my eyes to the two headed dragon, which was also resting and looking towards me with lazy eyes. _'That takes them out as well. And the girl is right here._' As I looked down to check the girl, I saw the imp holding a two headed staff and standing within striking distance. _'Bingo!' _I thought with an outward snarl.

'_Try that again you imp and I will severely hurt you._' I growled, and then brought myself back as I could smell a faint scent of fear rising from the child resting against me. A soft purring sound started in my chest same as when I was comforting Shippo.

"Ha! I am a servant of the great Lord Sesshomaru and would never let a lowly demon like you harm me." He gloated, raising his staff and bringing it down to my head.

Before his staff could make contact, I opened my mouth and let a blast of electricity hurl him back.

The imp seemed ready to come at me again and I gave a snort. If he wanted to be seriously injured that wasn't my fault. I was prepared to place the child aside and teach the imp that I wasn't just some 'lowly demon' as he had eloquently put it.

"Jaken." His voice was so calm and indifferent; he could have been talking about the weather. Yet this was enough to cause a visible shimmer to run through the imp, and he retreated, but maintained a glare in my direction.

I gave a huff and turned towards the demon lord with a look that clearly read 'Why didn't you do that earlier?' He returned my glance, but it was with the same indifference I had learned was his trademark. _'He would make a great actor, if the part called for stoic and intimidating.' _I thought with a chuckle to myself.

The night passed fairly uninterestingly from that point.

Rin had fallen asleep, so I had adjusted myself so that I was lying on my side. She was resting against my side with my paw and arm providing warmth for her.

The imp continued his glares at me, and I was more than welcome to return his, occasionally adding a grunt or snort of my own.

Sesshomaru, indifferent as usual, continued to watch our silent battle. I glanced his way a few times, and if I didn't know any better I would have thought he had a spark of amusement in his eyes.

At some point the imp fell asleep against the two-headed dragon. I gave a small huff at my small victory and turned my attention to Sesshomaru. His eyes were closed, but I got the feeling he wasn't asleep. I can't exactly say when, but at some point I feel asleep.

**~Sesshomaru~**

The demoness before me was truly a mystery.

There was no possible way she could have smelled Rin from where we had been training. I had personally made sure that we were far enough away so that she wouldn't be able to sense any of my pack. Yet she managed to make it here, leaving only one other possibility.

She managed to follow me unnoticed.

Being able to hide one's presence so strongly was something that took years and training, even I had not managed to perfect the technique until I was almost a century old. And yet she claims to have just discovered her demon blood a little over a moon ago. I found that hard to believe.

She spoke of being raised by humans, but I could not scent out where she had come from. I had traced her scent back to Inuyasha's human village, yet it vanished there and wasn't as heavy as others. If she had been truly been raised by the humans there, she should have had a stronger lingering presence there.

I had noticed the same with my little brother's human female. Perhaps they were from the same place, though I did not know where the girl, Kagome, was from either.

I could have simply demanded it from her, but I got the feeling she would not tell me.

**Indeed she is a strong one of heart. I doubt she would submit simply from orders or threats.** My inner demon rumbled with a chuckle, and I couldn't deny that it was right.

'She will need to learn.' I thought, still going through the list of things that didn't quite add up about this demoness.

It was obvious that she was a true Ryu-Inu, not some imposter, as have showed up in the nearly two decades since the clan had been eliminated. Yet it was confirmed that all of the clan was accounted for in the death count.

**Almost all.** My beast reminded me and I gave a slight nod. True, the body of the infant heir was never found.

'But there is no way an infant could have survived on its own. Plus the infant heir's name was Misaki, and the woman claims her name is Kazuko.' I mulled.

**And yet she is a Ryu-Inu, and female as the heir was. **The constant thorns my beast was planting in my thoughts were growing tiresome.

'She is not a Shogakko, and it was confirmed that the child was indeed a Shogakko. That is the reason the East laid waste to them as they did.' I responded, trying to understand the full situation.

**How do you know? **

'She can only use the element of lightning.'

**You mean, you've only 'seen' her use the element of lightning. How do you know that she does not also possess the other elements and is a Shogakko?**

'Even if she was, the heir would only be two decades old at the most. The fox kit that my brother's pack has is older than that. By demon standards she would not be as mentally or physically mature as she is now.' I argued mentally, my eyes not once leaving her sleeping form.

**If she was able to be raised by humans without notice, perhaps something was sealing her demonic blood. That would make it possible for her to have grown as a human did. Humans reach their maturity in less than two decades. **I had no choice but to grudgingly agree with my beast.

'Perhaps.' I thought, having nothing to combat this theory.

**We must find out if she is the true heir. For if she is, she is our mate by law, and must be claimed! **My demon demanded so strongly that I felt my fangs elongate and would guess that my eyes had tinted red. The sudden outrage had even taken me by surprise, not that I would ever admit it should anyone ask.

I quickly suppressed my inner beast, seeing everyone stir slightly in their sleep from the wave of power that I had exuded.

Kazuko looked up with barely opened eyes and glanced around, I could see the faint expansion of her nostrils as she took in the scents around her. Once she was satisfied with her check, her head returned to the ground and her breathing evened out again.

'We shall find out. Perhaps it is time to pay Totosai a meeting.' The old demon may be a coward, but he was knowledgeable, it just took extra effort to get it out of him.

I spent the rest of the night watching Kazuko and my young ward sleeping. Though Rin was quick to accept any demon, the fact that she did not awake with her nightmares was a surprised.

For a brief moment her heart rate had increased and the scent of fear began to rise from her and I assumed I had assumed to soon. Yet Kazuko's scent changed to one of warmth, she wrapped her tail protectively around the girl, and even I could hear the gentle rumbles of a comforting purr that arose in her chest. She did all of this without waking herself or Rin up.

**Naturally good with pups, as would be expected.** I didn't bother responding to my beast that time and just continued to watch her.

I was prepared to awaken the Ryu-Inu demoness at the time when our sparring session would normally end, but another change in her scent stopped me. This time I could smell the sweat that was under her fur, as if she was over working herself. I watched in amazement as a long, shallow gash appeared down her back just between her wings.

Immediately I was up, prepared to attack the one who was able to slip past so easily. A quick scenting of the area brought forth no scents other than of my pack's and Kazuko's. I looked back to the demoness and glared as another scratch, slightly deeper appeared on her front left paw.

**Protect her! **My inner demon was in a snarling fit as it watched the girl being attacked. As much as I agreed with my beast, I had no target. It was as if the marks were appearing by magic.

I spent the rest of the night watching as this process continued. Luckily her being a demon, meant the wounds healed quickly. Yet it seemed for every wound that healed, another appeared somewhere else. I had no choice but to return to sitting and watching.

It wasn't until morning that the strange attacks stopped, and Kazuko rose. She looked around as if not knowing where she was. Her eyes widened as I assumed she realized where she was. Her wings ruffled out and she stood to her paws quickly, only to remember Rin and catch the girl's kimono carefully in her jaw.

Kazuko deposited the girl gently by Ah-Uh and Jaken, her gaze coming over to me as she did. As usual I kept my mask in place, though I was curious to see what she would say.

'_Sorry I have to go, I hadn't meant to stay so long.' _She whined then took off with a ruffle of wings, sounding similar to a flock of birds taking off.

I watched her form disappear back towards the human village Inuyasha's pack was staying at until she was out of sight.

Indeed a visit to the sword smith was in order.

**~Kazuko~**

'I can't believe I slept there all night!'

**You enjoyed it.**

'Well yes, the little girl was cute.'

**That's not what I meant.**

'I'm aware and I'm not giving you the satisfaction of acknowledging what you truly meant.'

**In time you will. **

I growled and rolled my eyes as my inner demon laughed.

I didn't have time to ponder on what she meant. I was speeding as fast as I could back to the inn, but I knew the effort was futile.

It was already well past the time Inuyasha normally got up to check on me. I growled, thinking of any possible way to get out of the situation I had gotten myself into.

'Sesshomaru?' I thought with slight panic as the scent hit me. Was he following me? There was no way I could tell Inuyasha I had seen his brother, if said demon showed up behind me. I came to a terrible air stop, that would have been comical if I wasn't in such a panic. The scent was coming from so close, but yet I couldn't pinpoint it.

**It is coming from you. Remember that you spend the night with him. **I could just imagine by inner demon winking at the wording.

'Crap, I have to get his scent off of me.' I thought spying the river that we normally trained by. 'Sigh. Desperate times call for desperate measures.' I thought folding my wings and taking a nose dive into the river.

'Bad idea! Oh! My! God! That was such a bad idea.' I thought as the icy water hit my body like millions of ice crystals being injected into my body.

**~Unknown~**

I watched as the winged dog flailed in the water, trying to get to shore. The water weighed down its wings, preventing its return to the sky. If I were normal being, I would have found amusement in this display of clumsiness; but my thoughts were observing much more important facts.

I may not have been a demon as long, but I was around when the Ryu-Inu clan still roamed the land of the living. I had even once gone to offer them the Shikon Jewel in return for their help, loyalty, and their recently widowed princess for my bride. Naturally they had declined, stating their loyalty only belong to their clan and the western lord, Sesshomaru.

They were not the first to refuse my offers, but knowing the truth behind a Ryu I couldn't just let this one go. While a Ryu could give birth to a full blooded child of their mate, it was only one of the traits that made their females so desirable.

The Ryus, more specifically the Ryu-Inus, could transfer their power to another, making them a full blooded Ryu. Of course this was done at the expense of the original Ryu-Inu's life.

'A sacrifice I am more than willing to make.' I thought with a chuckle, watching the Ryu-Inu finally make it to shore and shake itself off.

A serious of growls and grunts had me turning around before. Being only a half demon, I could not understand the language of youkai and feral demons as a full demon could. Thankfully I didn't need any words for what I saw.

I watched in quiet awe as she collected all the water from her fur and deposited it back into the river. This did not catch my attention immediately, as I knew that each Ryu was born with the ability to control one of the five natural elements. Yet my eyes widened as I watched her readjust the mud beneath her paws so that the mud did not get caught in her fur.

'With intense training a Ryu can develop a second element.' I had to remind myself, and prepared to leave. That's when I saw it.

She radiated a heat, and I could see a small flame running along her body, followed by a strong wind that kept the fur from fluffing out.

'A Shogakko!' I thought, my expression going from shocked to carefully calculating. Perhaps she could be of more use than draining her power to become a full demon. I could always find another Ryu to do as such, but an unclaimed Shogakko was much more valuable alive.

'With a Shogakko under my control, getting the jewel would no longer be a problem. Having that kind of power at my disposal would make me more powerful than even Inuyasha's group and even Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to withstand the combined power.' I thought as I reappeared back into my castle.

'Looks like some readjustments in my plans are in order.' I thought looking over my newest scheme and tossing it aside.

"Kagura!" I yelled, smiling as the wind demoness entered with a disgusted snort in my direction. Kanna was already at my side, knowing she was needed. "I have a new mission for you."

Kanna held her mirror up showing the image of the Ryu-Inu from before. Only now she was in her demoness form and arguing with Inuyasha.

"You are to bring her to me, alive. I have plans for her." I said, smiling at the image.

"What for, are you looking for another demoness to fill your bed." She said, the disgust heavy in her voice.

I chuckled at her and shook my head. "No, she is a valuable tool that I must possess. She is a Ryu-Inu…"

"Impossible! They were all wiped out two decades ago." Kagura interrupted and I shook my head.

"Apparently one survived, and a Shogakko at that." I waited to see if she would interrupt again and continued when she did. "As I said, she is going to be what finally ends the struggle for the jewel, and she will win it for me. Remember bring her to me alive and functional. If you do not, I will kill you." I stated, watching the wind sorceress eyes narrow at me, but she did not speak out of turn again.

"As you wish Naraku."


	10. Battle Over The Lake  Part 1

**Welcome back all my favorite readers. I just want to celebrate having over 650 hits on this story for the month of September, and over 1000 hits for the story as a whole. So I know you guys are clearly reading. So thanks.**

**I always want to take those that review, it helps me feel like you guys truly care about the story.**

**I'm also in a good mood, because I just closed on my lease yesterday for my new place. I begin moving in tonight. :D**

**So, because I'm in such a good mood, who knows, you might get another chapter before the weekend is over. Maybe ;)**

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**Enjoy ^^**

* * *

><p><strong>~Battle Over The Lake – Part 1~<strong>

I looked at the half demon standing before me considering if I should give him a time out in a block of ice. I'd been explaining to him for the past few hours that I had only been going for an early morning walk.

"And what were you doing leaving without telling anyone?" He growled at me.

"I wasn't aware that you were my mother and I had to tell you when I did something." I said rolling my eyes.

"Something could have happened to you." He snarled and I raised an eyebrow. Since when did he care? As if he could read my expression he continued with a stutter, "Then I would have to come save you or Kagome would 'sit' me until I couldn't move!" He huffed turning his back to me.

"Aww, Inuyasha you care about me." I joked and wrapped my arms around him in a hug.

"Hey wench, get off." He growled, pushing me away. "I'm just making sure you're not working for Naraku." He muttered.

I giggled at his reaction and began walking away. It was time that I met Kilala for some more training. A small yawn escaped me as I headed to the area we normally trained. The village men had been gracious enough to let us use their training area just outside of the village; and it had actually become a daily show for the village to watch us train.

Thankfully Inuyasha seemed to have something very important to discuss with the rest of the group and left me to go train.

Kilala and Shippo caught up with me just before I made it to the training area. I couldn't help the smile that spread on my face as I watched them walk side by side. Seeing Kilala in her small form, it was almost easy to forget just how fearsome she could be. Then there was little Shippo, who I had no doubt would grow up to be a great demon warrior. He had even taken to joining us in the easier parts of the training; the kit had potential, just no one to teach him the proper techniques of fox demons. In a sense we were similar, having no one of our own kind to learn from. But he was still young, and I was sure there were fox demon clans somewhere that could teach him.

"Hey, Kazuko, where did you go last night? You weren't there when I woke up this morning. Inuyasha was being mean and trying to break down the door." He asked, hoping onto my shoulder.

"I decided to go for a morning walk." I said shrugging my shoulders, feeling weight on my other shoulder to tell me Kilala had jumped up.

'_You know Inuyasha still doesn't fully trust you. Such walks may not be wise at the moment.' _Kilala mewed, and I knew she was right.

I didn't like lying to the two of them; they were the only ones who fully trusted me. But I wasn't sure how they would react at learning that I was being trained by Sesshomaru at night.

"You're right, but it sucks feeling like I'm being caged up because they don't trust me." I sighed as we reached the training grounds.

'_We're not going to train as hard as we have been.' _Kilala mewed as she jumped from my shoulder and landed in the arena in her battle form.

"Why's that." I asked, turning to my true form; Shippo jumping onto low hanging tree branch.

'_Tonight is the night of the new moon and thus the demons will be coming. It would do no good to have us tired should a battle ensue. Inuyasha is already going to be no use.' _She growled, and hissed as she saw my head cock to the side in confusion. _'I shouldn't have said that.'_

"She was going to find out tonight anyway." Shippo said, only adding to my confusion and giving me a bit of curiosity.

'_Find out what?' _I barked, looking up to where the fox kit was seated.

'_Half demons have one night a month that they turn human. Inuyasha's night is on the new moon.' _Kilala said, though she still sounded unsure of telling me this.

'_Wow,' _I hadn't thought of something like that happening, but that would make sense. It also explained why Inuyasha had been so touchy every time I mentioned the new moon. I was willing to bet, that this was a secret he was would die to try and protect. If anyone knew his human night, he would be a sitting duck. _'Shippo is right, I would have found out tonight. I'll act shocked, so he won't know you've told me.'_

'_Thank you, I would rather not be under his suspicion as well.' _Kilala stretched, before running her paws over the ground lightly. _'Let us begin.'_

We spent no more than three hours training, and I noticed the villagers had once again gathered to watch us.

"You see that? Those Ryu-Inu demons won't stand a chance." One of the men said. It felt good to give them hope. After looking at how they were when we arrived, it was clear they needed it.

"Yea, the cat demon is amazing, and I've never seen a dog demon with wings." One of the children said.

"You've never seen a dog demon until now." Another child countered with a laugh.

"You know what I mean. I've never _heard_ of one with wings." The first child corrected, and several villagers agreed.

"I wonder what kind of demon she is. Maybe she's not a dog demon at all." One of the women added.

"We could always ask." Someone from the back stated.

'_I think it best we not tell them you are a Ryu-Inu until after we've helped them. We might lose the trust we've gathered.' _Kilala suggested and I agreed. No reason to raise their suspicions. Though I would have to tell them afterwards, even if I had only found out about my clan, I wasn't going to let imposters go around tarnishing my clan's name.

'_Shippo we're leaving.' _I barked up to the fox kit, who had a deep look of concentration on his face.

"Ok." He said jumping onto my back, still deep in thought.

'_What's up Shippo?' _I asked, pleased when he understood my more modern dialect.

"I'm trying to think over the fighting you guys do. I don't get to watch demons fighting, that often." He said, lying down with a sigh. I could feel him snuggling into my fur.

'_You watch Inuyasha fight all of the time.'_ Kilala argued and I growled my agreement.

"It's the not the same." The kit mumbled.

'_Is it because he's a half demon? He's still as strong as a full demon.' _I added, shaking my head as I realized who I was defending.

"No not that." Shippo paused, as if he was unsure of what to say next. "It's just that Inuyasha just rushes in, even a kid like me can see that. Isn't that why Sesshomaru and Naraku keeps beating him? He doesn't have the proper training like you guys are doing?"

Kilala and I looked at each other, neither of us knowing what to say in response. Shippo had nailed it right on the head about Inuyasha.

'_I guess you're right.' _I finally said, as we walked through the streets of the bustling town. Even though the people seemed to have gotten used to seeing demons in their village, it was clear that they were on edge since it was the night of the new moon.

"There you guys are!" We came to a stop as Sango and Miroku made their way towards us.

'_Hey guys, where's Kagome and Inuyasha at? I thought Inuyasha had some big important thing to talk to you about that would take all day?' _I asked, forgetting that all they could hear was barks and growls.

"Um, sorry Kazuko, we don't speak demon." Miroku said with a light chuckle.

I rolled my eyes and transformed back to my demoness form, Shippo jumping up and landing on my shoulder. "I asked where Kagome and Inuyasha were. He was so focused on telling you guys something important." I repeated.

"Ah, that's what we were looking for you guys for. We need to discuss the plan for tonight." Sango said, and we nodded. The two led us back to the headman's house and we ducked inside. Kagome and Inuyasha were already sitting beside each other on pillows, looking at a low table with something laid out on it.

"I'm glad Miroku and Sango found you all." Kagome said, smiling while scooting closer to Inuyasha to give more room around the table.

"Where is the headman?" I asked, taking a seat between Inuyasha and Sango.

"He went to reassure the villagers and get their spirits up for tonight." Kagome answered.

"We already have a plan laid out for tonight." Miroku started a little hesitantly. "But there is something you should know Kazuko."

"I still don't see why we should tell her. I still don't trust her." I rolled my eyes and pretended not to here Inuyasha.

"What is it?" I asked, turning to Miroku since he was the one who had started.

"All half-demons have a human night, a night of weakness if you will. Inuyasha, being a half-demon also has one. His human night is tonight, the night of the new moon." Miroku said. My eyes widened and I turned to look at Inuyasha, to make sure it looked as if I was truly surprised.

"If he's going to be human tonight, then can he even fight?" I asked, keeping my voice level.

"No, so that's all the more reason to make sure everyone sticks to the plan." Kagome said, leveling Inuyasha with an even glare.

"Yea whatever, wench." He said, and the rest of us could only sigh. Knowing Inuyasha he probably wouldn't be very reliable when it came to the plan.

"So let's get to the plan." Sango said, and I could see the sense in having her come up with the plan. I'm willing to bed she learned a lot of demon fighting strategies when the demon slayers were still around. "We can't risk destroying the village, or risking any of the villagers' lives. So we're going to have to take the battle to them."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Shippo piped in from where he was now seated in my lap.

"We're going to have to figure out where they take the girls. Hopefully it will be far enough away from here, so that we don't have to worry about the villagers getting in the way. The headman said they had tracked the demons towards a lake that's not too far away." Sango showed us a map of the lake in question. "It's believed that their hideout is either in the lake or very close to it. Either way, we need to be prepared for a water battle. Kagome and I will act as the bait. We'll go to the place where the demons pick up the young girls and let them take us." She was interrupted by a fierce growl from Inuyasha.

"Calm down Inuyasha, nothing's going to happen to them." I said, then motioned for Sango to continue.

"When they leave, that's where you come in Kazuko. We're going to need you to follow our trail; since you're Inu it shouldn't be too hard. But, this is critical, do not attack until you get our signal. We're going to be completely unarmed, except for a small smoke bomb that I'm going to have. When you see the yellow smoke, then you and Kilala have to come in and get us." Kilala mewed and I nodded. "Remember, not until you see the smoke. Then from there we'll fight as normal to take them down."

No one said anything for a while after Sango had laid out the plan. Inuyasha was still fuming at the two of them letting themselves be kidnapped, though I had a sneaking suspicion that he was more upset about a certain priestess being away from his protection.

Kilala had told me that Inus, especially males, were the most possessive you were going to find. Even if Inuyasha was a half-demon and didn't have an inner demon to speak of, it was clear that his instincts had marked her.

'Now all we had to do was wait for his brain to figure it out.' I thought with a giggle.

The headman returned telling us how much he and the village was thankful for us doing this. He told us that the demons normally came at sun down, and had dinner brought to us.

Dinner passed by quietly, everyone caught up in their own thoughts about the mission. Kagome and Sango left to change into kimonos so the demons wouldn't expect anything.

"Excuse me, but it is sun down." A maid told us, and we all looked at each other with silent communication. Just as we were about to get up, we turned at Inuyasha's growl.

"Whoa." I said under my breath as I watched Inuyasha's body begin to pulsate. I was caught in a trance as I watched his silver hair darken until it was black, his claws and fangs dull, his eyes go from golden to brown, and his ears become those of a human. It was like watching my transformation, only backwards.

"Stop staring!" He snapped at me and I quickly turned away before I could be offended by his tone.

Sango handed Miroku a bundle, her sword and her Hiraikotsu. Kagome gave Inuyasha her backpack and her bow and arrows.

"We're counting on you Kazuko." Sango said as the two of them headed out of the hut.

It wasn't long after that we felt strong demonic presences heading towards us. Everyone was on edge, but what I was most concerned with, was the fact that I felt more than two auras. If I wasn't mistaken, I was pretty sure I felt at least four different auras.

"So we wait until the demonic auras fade in intensity, then we head out." I thought aloud, earning a nod from everyone else. "Great, I always hated waiting."

**~Sango~**

Kagome and I were trying to act as scared as we could to make sure we were convincing. It was all unneeded, for when we saw the demons that came for us, we couldn't help but be afraid. The creatures truly looked like the villagers explained.

The first one had a dragons head, feet, claws, tail and wings, with a dog's torso. Its scales were green and red, and its fur was black. The second was the same only with red fur and yellow scales. In all my time as a demon slayer, I had never seen a demon such as this. Nor had I felt an aura like the one before us. It was as if I could feel separate auras coming from the demons. The only thing similar to it was Naraku, these demons felt as if they were made up of several demons.

"My, my, look at this brother. It seems the village has been holding out on us up until now." The first one said, circling us as Kagome and I huddled together and shaking with fear.

"Indeed, they are far more beautiful than the one before." The second said, lifting Kagome by the front of her kimono, and ripping it off.

My eyes widened, as I hadn't expected them to be so forward. Normally demons took their targets back to their hideouts before getting this aggressive.

"This one's under clothing is strange, but I like it." The one holding Kagome said with a chuckle.

"Careful brother, let us return to the cave before you gain your pleasure." The first one said, and I felt it lift me over its shoulder.

"Then let us make haste, I do not want to wait long." The second said as they took off flying towards the lake we had seen on the map.

"Knock 'em out." The first demon said and my eyes widened slightly. This definitely was not a part of the plan.

"Why do you always insist on that? It's not like they're going to run away." The second one said.

"Just in case we don't need them figuring out how to get back to the village." The first responded and the one carrying my shrugged.

I felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck and the last thing I could see Kagome shaking, and something I rather wish I hadn't.

'_I hope I haven't sent us into something we won't be able to handle.'_

**~Kazuko~**

"They're leaving." Miroku said as we stood and ran to the guard tower.

"What do you see?" Inuyasha asked, and the guards were momentarily distracted.

"Were ye not a half demon? You look human now." One of the guards said, and I could feel Inuyasha wanting to say something back.

"We need to know if the demons have left." Miroku said before Inuyasha could get anything in.

"Yes, we just saw them flying off with your two maidens." The second guard answered, while the first seemed to be mulling over what was going on.

"Let's go." I said, as we rushed out of the gates.

Kilala and I transformed and looked back to the two. Miroku jumped on Kilala's back and I felt Shippo jump on mine. Just as I was about to take off, I felt a heavier weight press down on my back.

I looked over my shoulder to see Inuyasha.

'_I thought you didn't trust me.' _I growled.

"I don't know what you're saying, but we gotta get to Kagome and Sango before those demons do anything." Inuyasha answered and I shrugged.

'_Shippo, I'm going to need you to be my voice.' _The fox kit nodded and seemed thrilled to be able to help out.

We rushed to where the demons were to pick up Sango and Kilala. Kilala, Shippo and I all cringed at the smell that we were assaulted with; even Miroku and Inuyasha made grunts of disgust. It smelled like refrigerator that hadn't been on in months with spoiled food inside. Reluctantly I sorted through the scents to figure out where they went.

'_Found the trail.' _I barked as Shippo translated.

I gave my wings a shake and took off, Kilala right on my tail. The demons were moving surprisingly fast. Tracking a scent in the air was much harder than on the ground; luckily it was so pungent that I could still smell the stink.

'_That's a lake.' _I barked in surprise. The expanse of water before us could easily swallow up Tokyo.

It was the lake from the map and I could see that on the north side of the lake was a large cave with what looked to be a shack built into it. I came to a complete stop and signaled for us to descend. Once on the ground, we stalked forward till we could see the cave, but still be covered by the trees.

Inuyasha was suprisingly calm as we waited, looking across the late; but as almost an hour passed with no signal we all began to get restless.

"What the hell are those two doing? Sango should have given the signal by now." The red clad human finally mumbled earning a few murmers of agreement from the rest of us.

"Kazuko." Miroku started, then waited until I was facing him to continue. "Are their scents different in anyway?"

I turned back towards the house and tried to scent out what he wanted and growled in frustration. The scent of the demons was so strong it overpowered Kagome and Sango to the point that I couldn't smell them. The only way I was sure that they were in there, was the fact that I could sense Kagome's spiritual powers.

Shippo relayed this to Miroku and I felt Inuyasha grab a fist full of my fur.

"Screw the signal, we go in now." He said, and for once I didn't disagree.

"Inuyasha you and Kazuko wait here for a moment," Inuyasha was about to interupt, but Miroku continued speaking before he could. "Kilala and I will go first and creature a distraction, you guys try to find a back way in and look for the Sango and Kagome."

I nodded at his plan and before Inuyasha could argue with either of us I took to the sky.

When we reached the back of the cave, Inuyasha hoped down to look for any way in. I sniffed along the walls for any cracks, but unfortunately couldn't find any.

'I might have to use my earth powers.' I thought sourly. 'I know I'm not supposed to show them yet, but I think Inuyasha might have seen it already. Plus if it's the only way to save Kagome and Sango, then I'm willing to risk it.'

'_Shippo tell Inuyasha to get back on.' _I barked, and Inuyasha jumped back on my back after hearing the kit.

I closed my eyes and focused, my claws digging into the ground. I didn't want to crack the cave rock, knowing that would create too much noise, so my best bet was to create a hole under, like a dog dug under a fence. Silently the ground under the cave split and cracked until a hole large enough for my to fit through appeared under the cave.

"How do we know when to go in?" Shippo asked. Before either Inuyasha or I could answer we head a loud commotion coming from around front.

'_I believe that's our cue.' _I growled and slid into the hole. I was very pleased that the hole led straight behind the hut.

"I see them." Shippo whispered from where he was looking in a window. As we came over, sure enough there was Sango lying on a cot.

'But where is…'

Before I could finish the thought, I had to flinch away as Inuyasha broke the glass window.

'_What are you…' _I began to growl, then stopped when I saw a _naked_ Kagome lying on a cot a few feet from Sango.

"Hey I smell two demons and a human." I heard voice call out and realized that they were on to us.

'_So much for being subtle.' _I snarled, as I rammed into the side of the shack and made a large hole.

Inuyasha was quick to get wrap Kagome in his red top, and put her on my back, then Sango, then be placed himself behind them.

With so much weight, and the fact that Kagome and Sango couldn't hold on, meant I couldn't use the hole from before.

I ran for the enterance of the cave not sure that I could even fly under such weight. Plus Sango was partially on my right wing, making it hard to use correctly.

"Get the mutt." I heard, just as I saw two demons come into view.

I acted before I could think. My jaw opened and a stream of fire caused them to fall back into the lake.

'Well it's now or never.' I thought, as I bunched my muscles together and took a leap. My wings flapped quickly and seemed to be not working, but finally I felt myself sailing in the air.

"There's Miroku and Kilala!" Shippo yelled jumping up and down on my head.

We looked down to see Kilala and Miroku in the same spot we had been waiting.

'_Prepare for landing.' _I barked, for once knowing I was going to crash without trying to.

As we decended I could feel my wings straining to keep us all up. Shippo jumped off just before I hit the ground, making sure to stay on my stomach so not to hurt the rest of the group on my back.

Inuyasha and Miroku were quick to get the girls off my back and I transformed back to my demoness form.

"We gotta think of something quick. The demons saw me and I can smell that they followed us." I said, my breaths coming out in sharp huffs.

"We gotta wake them up." Inuyasha said shaking Kagome. "Eh, wench, get up!"

"I'm not sure that's going to help." Shippo said, as he watched the humanized half-demon shake the young priestess.

"I have an idea." I said, going over to Sango first. I figured Inuyasha wasn't going to le me do anything to Kagome until he saw proof that it would work.

"Miroku, could you step away for just a sec?" I asked softly. The monk nodded and stepped back. I placed my hand on Sango's and sent a small shock to her.

"What? Where are we?" Sango asked as she sat up rather groggily.

"Miroku will fill you in while I get Kagome up." I said, going over to Inuyasha. "This won't take long, just step back." He seemed ready to argue, but seeing Sango up must have changed his mind. He stepped back and I repeated the same with Kagome.

Once the girls were filled in and dressed, we began discussing a plan.

"There isn't just two." Sango started and I nodded.

"That's what I thought; the aura coming from them was like a combination. Kind of like this Naraku guy you guys talk about." I said, trying to suppress a shiver that wanted to run down my spine.

"That's not even the worst part." Sango continued, and we looked her curiously. "I know what kind of demons they are. They're shape shifters, just like Naruku."


	11. Battle Over The Lake Part 2

**Do****n't hurt me! I come bearing chapters!**

**Ok so I know I've been gone for a while and I don't have a good excuse. **

**So I offer you this new update and promise to try harder.**

**Also for anyone who's interested, I have finally completely caught up on Naruto and will be starting my first fanfic for that soon.**

**Anyway here is the next chapter of 'Where I Belong', please review.**

**Enjoy ^^**

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><p><strong>~Battle Over The Lake – Part 2~<strong>

"Shape shifters? Are you sure?" I asked and Sango gave a nod. By now her and Kagome were dressed; her in her demon slaying armor, Kagome in her school uniform.

"Just as they knocked me out I noticed that there were changing. I noticed that they were morphing from the forms." Sango said, strapping on her Hiraikotsu while Kagome adjusted her arrows. The priestess still looked and smelled shaken up by what had happened, but to her credit she still was ready to go. She had a determined look on her face and she hadn't said a word since we'd gotten them back.

"So much for your plan, now what?" Inuyasha said grumpily, not taking his eyes off of Kagome.

"We can't fight them as we normally would." Miroku started, and then continued when we gave him a confused look. "When Kilala and I attacked them they used water attacks, and I'm willing to bet they'll try to lure us over the lake to fight. So since none of us can walk on water, we have to figure out a new plan."

The sound of the wind rustling through the trees was all that could be heard as we stood trying to think of something.

"An aerial attack is the only choice." I said and everyone but Inuyasha mumbled an agreement.

"How would we do that? With Kilala we'd still be unable to fight effectively. Only one person would be able to attack at a time." The monk pointed out.

"Yea it would be pointless if we take turns attacking." Inuyasha grumbled. I had a feeling that he was more interested in making sure I was wrong than actually trying to come up with a plan.

"Well, you're not going to be attacking period, since you're powerless." I said, ignoring his human-like growl in my direction. "Kilala can carry Sango, I can carry Kagome…"

"Ok fine but what about Miroku?" Inuyasha interrupted with a smug smile, clearly happy to find a hole in my plan.

"Shippo's been working on his transformation and can hold them better now. So he can transform into a bird or something and carry Miroku. Plus Shippo can still talk in his transformations, so we can communicate while we fight." I said, getting my own smug look as he went speechless and turned his back to me.

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Kagome said coming over to me. Everyone else, except Inuyasha, gave their agreements.

"Well let's get going before they find us." Miroku said, looking to the Kitsune that was now on his shoulder.

Shippo jumped down, pulled a leaf from his vest, placed it against his forehead and shouted "Transform!" A large puff of smoke appeared, and when it died down a large raven was in his place.

"Very nice Shippo, you have been practicing." Miroku said as he climbed on and got adjusted.

"The kit has potential." I said just before I transformed into my true demon form and crouched for Kagome to get on.

Sango and Kilala were already ready to go. We prepared to take off, until a certain half demon spoke up.

"What about me?" He shouted, looking at us.

'_Go back to the village.' _I barked and Shippo translated.

"What…!" But before he could continue Sango spoke up.

"Kazuko is right. While you're human you're just more weight. You'll slow down whoever is carrying you." Sango stated. She gave Kilala a signal and they took to the skies. Shippo and Miroku followed suit until it was just me and Kagome left with the steaming red clad human.

"Look Inuyasha, it's just safer if you go back to the village. Sango needs room to throw Hiraikotsu, Shippo isn't strong enough to carry you, and Kazuko only has room for one, safely, with her wings. If we're still not back by sunrise then you can come back, but for now please just go back." She said, her voice sounding uncharacteristically and unnervingly hollow.

"But Kagome…" Inuyasha said, though he couldn't seem to find the words to argue with her.

Instead he walked forward until his face was right at my nose. "If anything happens to her, I'll tear you apart." He growled.

Normally I would have zapped the hell out of him, but I knew he was only concerned about Kagome.

Kilala had told me dog demons were the most possessive of all demons, and even though Inuyasha was only half I figured it was just his demon nature kicking in.

I gave a nod of my head and watched as he took off running back to the village.

"I'll be back at sunrise." Inuyasha shouted over his shoulder.

"Ok Kazuko, let's go." Kagome said grasping tuffs of my fur and I took off.

We caught up to the others hovering over the lake as far from the cave as possible. I pulled up between them to see what the plan was.

"Trying to go into the cave would be too dangerous since there isn't enough room for us all. So we need to lure them out. The question is how." Sango said, from where they hovered.

Everyone seemed deep in thought on the matter until an idea come to me.

'_Leave that to me.' _I barked, and the others gave me a curious look. Instead of answering I flew forward so that I was in the middle of the lake.

"What are you going to do?" Kagome asked quietly.

'_Come out you cowards! My name is Kazuko, the one true survivor of the Ryu-Inu Clan! How dare you disgrace the name of my clan! Now come out and face me!' _My voice started out as a loud growl, but by the time I finished my anger had risen and so had my voice; so that when I finished my voice was at a roar that shook the lake and water around it. Even Kagome had to cover her ears.

I could feel my powers stirring the water of that lake so that it was swirling just below my paws.

"Did it work?" I heard Shippo asked from behind me.

"Look." Sango said as we could see two figures coming from out of the cave.

"Well, look what we have here." The taller one said, though they stayed just in the shadow of the cave, so that we could only see their eyes. "It appears that a true Ryu-Inu has come forward." He sneered, his voice showing that he obviously didn't believe me.

"Yea, the things some people will do to get by in this world." The short one laughed.

This only served to fuel my anger, and I couldn't help myself as my aura rose in a fit of rage and washed towards them, creating waves in the lake. A gust of wind carried my scent straight at them.

Both demons froze, and I could make out a slight narrowing of their eyes.

"She's telling the truth." The short one hissed.

"No need to worry, this makes it better. We kill her and take her powers and shape, and then we'll really be Ryu-Inu's. See this is exactly how I planned it." The tall one said, his fangs how showing in a smirk.

"But you said that the whole clan had been wiped out." The short one objected.

"Just get the demoness!" The tall one said, and they shot out of the cave towards us.

"Here they come!" Shippo shouted as we all barely managed to move in time.

"If you humans stay out of this, then we'll just kill the demoness and let you escape with your lives." The taller demon said, landing on the water, standing confidently on its rocking surface.

"We would never abandon our friend!" Sango shouted, raising Hiraikotsu over her head and flinging it towards the demons.

"Fine we'll kill all of you." The tall demon said, not moving as Hiraikotsu went hurling straight for him.

Just as the attack was about to hit the duo, the short one pulled out something and threw it on the water. A smoke screen appeared that covered the lake. Sango barely had enough time to catch Hiraikotsu, due to the smoke hiding it from view.

"It's not just a regular smoke bomb, something is off!" I heard Sango shout, and with her being a demon slayer I didn't doubt her knowledge on the matter. As I tried to look for the others through the smoke I realized what was wrong.

Since I couldn't see the others, I settled for trying to sniff them out. I couldn't scent anyone! Not Shippo, Sango, Miroku, Kilala, or even Kagome, who was right on my back!

'What the hell is this smoke?' I thought, before recoiling as I felt something small and sharp cut across my chest. Before I could think too much about it, I heard Kagome give a grunt of discomfort. Being unable to communicate with her through words, I gave a low whine as to say 'You ok?'

"I'm fine, just felt something scrape my arm." She said, and I could feel a slight shifting as she was most likely checking it. "The smoke is starting to clear." She brought up and I was slowly starting to see the lake again.

Saying I was shocked at what I saw, as the lake completely cleared, would have been a huge understatement. Once the smoke was completely gone I was staring across the lake at myself, carrying Kagome.

'Wait, what?' I thought, seeing but unwilling to believe what was in front of me.

"Kazuko? Kagome?" I turned to see Miroku and the others staring straight at us and the imposters.

"Who's who?" Shippo said quietly.

"We are the real ones of course!" Kagome shouted from my back but her voice wavered as she was still looking at the imposters.

'_Yea, clearly they have just shifted their shape to look exactly like us!'_ I barked, my mind going back to cuts Kagome and I had felt.

"Don't listen to them, we're the real ones and they are the imposters!" The imitation Kagome shouted, sounding exactly like the real one.

'_Of course, don't let those lowly imposters fool you.' _My imposter barked sounding just like me.

"Shippo, Kilala, can you smell which one is real?" Sango asked her weapon ready to go but unsure of which pair to aim it at.

"No, the smoke messed up my nose," Shippo started, and then paused as Kilala mewed. "Kilala says it the same for her."

"So this was their aim. They used to the smoke not only to cover up their transformations but to also eliminate our only way of telling them apart from the real ones." Sango murmured. Her face contorted a bit as she went into deep thought. "I remember now! We used to use those types of smoke bombs to make fast getaways to make sure the demons couldn't follow us by scent. It usually wears off in about an hour."

"So then how do we fight the enemy, if we don't even know who the enemy is?" Shippo asked, his voice shaking at the unexpected turn of events. "I doubt they'd let us wait an hour to fight."

No one seemed to have an answer for the small fox, and even I couldn't find the right words. The other demons were playing their part well, as the fake Kagome put on a convincing look of desperation. My own imposter was staring straight at me, eyes narrowed as I'm sure I was doing back at them.

'_We'll fight it out,'_ my imposter barked, and the other looked unsure as Shippo translated.

"We wouldn't be able to help, there has to be a better way." Miroku said.

As much as I would have liked to have another option, it was becoming clear that there wasn't going to be one.

'_No the imposter is right. The only option we have is to fight it out. You guys are just going to have to trust us.' _I growled, mentally kicking myself for falling for this trap. 'Oh if only Inuyasha could see this, I wouldn't hear the end of it.' I thought sourly.

Shippo's voice shook as he told the others, and by now they couldn't disagree. Since both of us has said it, they knew one of us was the real one, thus meaning the real me had agreed to it.

I watched as the others flew back to where we had been hiding before, and stayed just above the treetops. I could smell the worry and uncertainty radiating from their direction.

"I'm ready Kazuko." Kagome whispered quietly. I could feel the tension running through her body, especially as her grip on my fur tightened. I couldn't blame her; she basically had to fight for her life without the group she had been through so much with.

'I'll protect her for you Inuyasha.' I thought, my claws flexing against the sky as I physically and mentally prepared for the battle.

"Let's go." Kagome added. I felt her hands leave my fur and could hear her stringing an arrow to her bow.

With Kagome having to hold her bow, I realized she wouldn't be able to keep her balance as easily, meaning I had to take this a bit slower than I would like.

Before I could begin heading forward, the imposters shot towards us with a speed that took me by surprise and I'm sure that I was only able to follow the movements due to being a demon.

I just barely managed to dodge by jolting to the side. Thankfully I was able to charge my claws with electric current and swipe my imposter's back leg. The silver fur quickly began to turn red, and the imposter turned and growled at me. Before I could make it completely by the fake me, it brought its' fangs down on a vice grip around my tail.

I couldn't help the howl of pain that escaped me as the pain sent shockwaves up my spine and caused my wings to spasm slightly. It took almost everything I had to keep my wings from locking up in pain. I quickly yanked my tail out, feeling the hair on my tail being ripped out. I could just imagine the bald spots that were there now.

'I totally understand the tail thing now. I will never pull anyone's tail again!' I thought resisting the urge to stick my tail between my legs.

"You ok Kazuko?" Kagome asked, rubbing the fur just behind my ears.

For the record, I would NEVER admit it, but it felt pretty amazing.

I gave the priestess a low grunt as to say 'No, but I'll manage'.

"Sorry about that, they came so fast, I didn't have enough time to fire my arrow." Kagome's voice was still firm as she strung up another blow. I couldn't blame her, I just barely had time to move, and even I didn't get completely out of the way.

I was ready to charge, when the demons came at us again. Once again I just managed to get out of the way, getting a slight hit on the shoulder.

There wasn't any time to regain myself as they came again from below, and I moved to get an arrow in my left side. Just as I was going to move again I felt my side beginning to burn, and heard Kagome gasp.

"How did they copy my purification arrow?" She shouted.

'Purification arrow?' I thought as the burning increased. I could literally feel the spiritual energy trying to eat away at my flesh and demonic aura. 'This isn't good.'

This routine continued, the imposters charging me with almost impossible speeds and me barely avoiding fatal blows or hits to Kagome. After several minutes I had numerous arrows sticking out of my fur, and I looked like a red Dalmatian with as many blood stains as I had.

"Wow, Kazuko's really gotten fast." I heard Sango say in shock, and I rolled my eyes.

"You mean if that is the real Kazuko." Miroku corrected and I made a mental note to thank the monk for that when this was over.

'I guess this battle is going to require me to use my head. They're faster than me, so I won't be able to dodge like this for long.' I thought, trying to figure out some opening. I could feel my strength leaving me. The spiritual energy was draining my youkai. My wings were getting tired, and my body felt as if it were becoming heavier with each movement.

"I'm so sorry Kazuko, I can't even see them. Every time I look up you have a new wound." Kagome's voice cracked slightly giving away the fact that she was either crying or on the verge of it.

"Look out!" Kagome said and I turned my head just in time to see the demon charging at me again.

"This time we've got you mutt!" The imposter Kagome shouted, as the bow and arrows transformed into a long spear.

"Look those are the fakes!" Shippo shouted as he watched the spear transform. I could see him out of the corner of my eye trying to come to our aid. Miroku was reading some sutras, but I knew they wouldn't make it.

Even Kilala, going her fastest, wasn't going to be able to make it in time.

Sango swung Hiraikotsu, but the weapon just wasn't fast enough.

They were charging at me full speed, aiming for Kagome. The blow would kill the priestess. I was so drained that I knew I wouldn't be able to avoid it completely even if I tried. My body only had enough strength left for a quick, short maneuver.

'I can't let Kagome die.' I thought.

Now I've always heard that when something like this happens, things go into slow motion. I'm not exactly sure that's right, or at least maybe I wasn't doing it right; because everything seemed to go into hyper drive.

I watched the others fruitlessly try to reach us, but in my heart I already knew what needed to be done.

My mouth curved in a canine equivalent of a smile as I shifted my body so that Kagome was thrown off.

The demons were going too fast to change their route and the spear slammed straight into my chest. I could feel it tear straight through my chest bone and ribs and into my heart, and I felt the spear tip come out through my back right where my left wing was.

I hooked my claws into my imposter and used my fangs to rip its' throat out. With a grunt I used the last of my strength to fry the life out of the other demon.

With grim satisfaction I watched both of their lifeless bodies drop into the lake.

It was as I watched them drop that I realized that the lake was getting closer or rather, I was also falling.

"Got ya." I heard Sango say, and I was glad that they had managed to catch Kagome.

I felt myself cough out blood. The copper taste wasn't too bad.

"Kazuko!" I think that was Shippo's voice.

Everything was getting dark.

'_Kazuko!' _That meow was definitely Kilala's.

Do demons even get to go to heaven?

"Kazuko!" For once I couldn't detect any perverted hints in the monk's voice.

I don't remember hitting water, but I did sense it rushing into my nose, mouth and lungs.

"Kazuko!" I don't know who that was.

'Take that Inuyasha. Say that I'm untrustworthy now.' I somberly joked as all consciousness began to leave me.

The last thought that ran through my mind brought a smile to my muzzle.

'I am going to finally meet my birth parents.'

And then _nothing_.


	12. Why

**Happy Thanksgiving! And hello to all that don't celebrate the holiday on this day, Happy belated or early Thanksgiving for y'all!**

**As a Thanksgiving treat I decided to work extra hard and get this chapter out today. I've realized that I spend almost 40 hours a week on this story, it's like a job. . But I enjoy writing it.**

**This may seem a bit melancholy but it was how the next chapter needed to be, in my opinion.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

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><p><strong>~Why~<strong>

The group couldn't believe their eyes.

Shippo and Kilala had stopped in mid air as they watched the winged dog fall into the lake just behind the other two demons. The only thing they could pull themselves to do was to shout their friend's name.

It wasn't until the large splash of all three demons breaking the water's surface, that they unfroze and the hysteria began.

"We have to get her out!" Kagome shouted, her cheeks soaked from the tears streaming down her face.

"Kilala." Sango said, as the fire cat brought them to the edge of the lake.

The two women jumped from the fire cat's back and watched as Kilala jumped into the lake.

Shippo and Miroku landed beside them, the monk landing on his feet as the young fox transformed back to normal.

The young fox's eyes were red from the crying he was doing, and the priestess picked him up in comfort.

The monk placed his non-cursed hand on the slayer's shoulder, offering his silent comfort. Even his level of perversion couldn't overwhelm the gravity of the situation.

They all watched as Kilala surfaced; the scruff of the Ryu-Inu in the feline's jaw. Once Kilala was close enough to the edge, Sango and Miroku went forward to help haul the body onto land.

Kagome had to turn away and cover Shippo's eyes.

Kazuko's fur was wet and clung to her body. Red streaks were running through her silver fur that reflected like fire in the rising sunlight. The spear was still firmly lodged through her chest and the end showing from out of her back.

"Let's take the spear out." Miroku said softly as he grabbed the end that was sticking out of her back and pulling.

By the time he got the spear completely out, even Sango had turned, and Kilala was brushing against the slayer's side in comfort. The monk tossed the spear back into the lake and bowed his head to pray for the fallen demoness.

"She shouldn't have done that." Kagome said as she finally was able to pull herself together enough to kneel down beside the demoness' body. She placed a hand on the soaked shoulder, somehow wishing she could do something.

"Kazuko was truly a friend." Sango said, kneeling beside the priestess. "I wish we hadn't been so suspicious for her."

"Get up Kazuko! Don't go!" The fox child shouted as he jumped and landed against the demoness' chest in-between the still and cold paws. "You can't leave." His voice weakened as sobs shook his small body.

'_Shippo.'_ Kilala mewed, though she couldn't find any more words than that to say. Instead the fire cat let out a sad roar to the sun, and then she laid herself down next to the fox kit.

The group stayed like that for hours, watching the small child sob into the demoness' arms, and shedding their own tears.

"What's going on?" A shout was heard as a blur of red came up beside Kagome. "Hello? I said what's go…" The half demons topped as he noticed the still Ryu-Inu and noticed that everyone was crying. "What's wrong with Kazuko? Did she get hurt or something? I knew she was weak." The half demon scoffed as he used a foot to nudge the demon, a dark look passing over his face as realization began to dawn on him.

"She died protecting me." Kagome said softly, not taking her eyes off of Kazuko.

"If Kazuko hadn't done what she did, we would be looking at Kagome's dead body." Sango added, as she looked up briefly at the half demon then back to Kazuko. They all knew how much the half demon hadn't wanted the demoness around.

"What?" The half demon growled out as he finally took in the scent. Under the overwhelming scent of lake water and tears, he could smell the rising scent of death coming from the newest member of their group. "She…? Why?" It was all he could manage to say.

Since the demoness had joined the group, the half demon was constantly accusing her of being a spy or simple out to get them once their defenses were down. Not once had he been fair enough to actually try and trust her like the others were beginning to do. He now had his proof of her loyalty to the group, but it was too late to make up for it.

"Kazuko…" The half demon whispered still not willing to let his feelings show. Instead he sat next to Kagome and pulled the girl into a hug.

The priestess didn't resist, and instead collapsed against the dog eared, half demon. Her tears increased in intensity as she felt the half demon pull her in. Part of her wanted to blame Inuyasha for threatening Kazuko into protecting her, but she knew it would have ended the same even if Inuyasha hadn't. Despite knowing the group didn't fully trust her, Kazuko gave everything her best. It wasn't to prove the others that she was trustworthy; she simply did it because it seemed to be her nature.

As Shippo fell asleep, the others began to decide on what to do.

"We can't leave her here, but with her being in that form we can't carry her far." Miroku said as he stood after giving a final prayer over Kazuko's body.

"The only choice we have is to bury her here." Inuyasha said, carefully bringing up Kagome as he stood.

Sango nodded and gently removed Shippo from the paws that were growing cold. "Kagome, do you think you need to go back to your world?" The slayer asked, and then clarified as the priestess gave her a confused look, "to tell her family and friends."

"Oh," The priestess' voice was small and hollow. "Her parents died before she came here, and her friends all think she's decided to go on a world trip and then settle in a different country. I don't think I'll need to tell them, at least not yet."

"Let's head back. Kagome and Sango can stay at the village with Shippo and Kilala. Inuyasha and I will get some shovels and come back." Miroku decided, as he led the group back to the village.

The mood of the group was quiet as they walked back to the village, no one knowing what to say, though the silence felt worse than it had ever been. With the group so filled with grief, and one half demon filled with regret, they failed to notice the presence approaching the body of their fallen friend. Instead they entered the village completely unaware; the cheers of the villagers feeling unimportant.

Back at the lake, seemingly uninterested eyes looked down to the cold and soaked body. Their deep gold going over the body as if trying to spot something that was unseen. The white clad demon stood motionless with the exception of an empty sleeve that swayed with the wind.

"I do not doubt that you wish to bring her back." He said, though no one appeared to be there, and placed his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword. "The Ryu-Inus were a strong breed, and loyal subjects of the west. It would be unwise to pass the change to have a Ryu-Inu under my command." As he spoke the demon began to unsheathe the sword that couldn't cut.

Dark golden eyes narrowed as small, grey minions of death became visible only to the dog demon. With an elegant flip of his wrist, the demon slashed away all of the tiny imps that were doing their deadly trade.

At first it seemed to have no affect.

Was the Sword of Heaven too late?

Had she already crossed completely over?

Suddenly the large, winged canine shot up, eyes wide and began coughing.

She coughed out all of the water that had flooded into her mouth, lungs and nose. Her breathing was hectic and uneven as she tried to grasp what was happening.

"How am I alive?" She asked, her eyes still not completely focused and trying to clear the mist of death.

"I brought you back." The demon lord said, re-sheathing the Sword of Heaven.

**~Kazuko~**

I'm alive.

How did it happen?

I was just gone.

I know I was.

I remember seeing my parents.

"_Oh my daughter, this wasn't supposed to happen." A demoness said softly from where she sat under a beautiful cherry blossom tree._

_I was about to respond, but my attention was drawn to where I was. _

_The sky was completely white, as if it were just one big cloud. The grass was a green so lush, that even the best landscapers would give up after seeing it. The lake I was beside had water so clear that I could have thought it was made of glass. _

_I could see from the lake reflection that I was back in my human-like form._

'_Wait beside I'm beside the lake? Didn't I just fall into the lake?' I thought and stood, putting a hand to my chest. 'And didn't I get stabbed through the chest with a spear?' "What's going on?" I finally said, remembering the lady who had spoken to me._

"_I'm so sorry, Misaki, this wasn't what was supposed to happen." The lady who spoke came from under the tree she was sitting under, and as she stepped out of the tree's shadow, I could've died. Well if I wasn't dead, I could have died._

_She had my silver hair, violet eyes and the same markings on her face as I did. The only noticeable difference I could see was that she had a boa-like thing, just like Sesshomaru, instead of a tail like me. She also looked more mature and she had so much sadness and wisdom in her features._

"_Um I think you have me confused with someone else. My name's Kazuko, and if you don't mind me asking, where am I?" I couldn't take my eyes from the woman's face, feeling as if I was staring into a mirror. Even as I asked, I already knew the answer, yet somehow it didn't feel real until I heard it._

"_Kazuko please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mia, former princess of the Ryu-Inu clan, controller of air, and your mother." She seemed to guess that I would take this not so smoothly._

"_And don't forget about me. I am Tsuyoshi, your father, and former head general of the Ryu-Inu clan, controller of lightning."The voice belonged to a male that stepped from behind the cherry blossom tree. He had dark silver hair that looked grey and was tied in a high ponytail that fell to his mid back. His steel silver eyes that had the hardened gaze of a warrior, yet held the gentleness of a parent._

'_My mother and father? She's my mother and he's my father?' I thought over and over again. As the thought sunk in, I could feel my eyes becoming wet and my vision blurring. "You are my mother and father." I finally choked out._

"_Yes." Hesitantly my mother opened her arms and I ran into them. I felt my father wrap his arms around me as well and I couldn't help the break down that followed._

_I hadn't truly cried in years, even at my foster parents' funeral I had kept myself together for image sake, since I was never one who liked for people to feel pity for me. But this time I couldn't help it; I ran into my birth parents' arms and broke down. Every emotion I had locked away all these years came pouring out as I collapsed in her arms. _

_I cried for the parents who I had never known and was now standing in the arms of. _

_I cried for the foster parents who had raised me and were now gone. _

_I cried for the group of friends I had made and was leaving behind. _

_I cried for the responsibility I had failed to accomplish. _

_I cried for the life I would never have again._

_I cried just because it felt good to do so after so long._

_They held me for what seemed like hours, just making soft noises, the same ones I would make to comfort Shippo. _

"_I'm dead aren't I?" I finally asked, pulling away and looking up at my parents._

"_Sadly, yes." My mother said, running a clawed hand through my hair. "This wasn't how we had planned things to go. We did not think you would die before even getting the chance to avenge your clan."_

"_We had thought you would be able to find allies and somehow revive the clan." My father added. "It appears we were sorely mistaken, perhaps it is destined for the Ryu-Inus to no longer exist."_

_I looked at their expressions, both having held so much hope. I had know what my ancestors had wanted me to do through the sleep training, but to see the helplessness on my own parent's face only reinforced the guilt I felt at not being able to accomplish their dream._

"_You said Misaki earlier. Who is that?" I asked in a quiet voice, looking at the two. "Did I have a sister?"_

_My mother gave a laugh that reminded me of bells and shook her head. "No, Misaki is your real name, the one I gave you when you were born."_

"_So all this time, those memories and dreams of Misaki…? They were about my past?"I asked, almost wanting to hit myself for not figuring it out earlier. They both nodded at my conclusion._

"_Then what happens now? Are we in heaven? Can demons even go to heaven?" I asked, looking between the two at the landscape._

"_We are at the gateway. It is a place where the deceased can wait for loved ones or sometimes those who just can't accept that they are dead stay until they can accept it." My father said with a small smile at my questions._

"_Demons can go to heaven. It is not based on what we are, but who we lived our life as. Those who lived a good life are welcomed." My mother commented, and I smiled at how cute my parents looked together._

"_As I had passed before your mother, I chose to wait here for her." My father placed his arm around my mother's waist as spoke._

"_And I wanted to wait and watch you avenge the clan." My mother admitted sadly. "But now that you are here. We can all pass over together. You can meet the rest of your clan, I'm sure they'd love to meet you."_

_I knew that it was the only logical thing to do, but something about being dead keeps you from caring about logic. All I could think about was the group and how I would miss them, even bone-headed Inuyasha. I told myself that I would see them again eventually because they were good people, but I realized that I would be waiting for them to die, which was depressing._

"_Come, we can tell you about all of the clan you come from and be together as a family should." As my mother spoke, a sliding door appeared behind them. _

"_Through this door is the 'other side'." My father said as he slid the door open. _

_I sighed, accepting my fate, not that there was much else I could do. They walked through first and I watched as they disappeared then began to walk through myself. Just as I half way in, I felt as if a chain was wrapped around me and pulling me back; I looked down to see yellow spindles surrounding my body. I looked to my parents not understanding. _

_Had I lived my life so badly that I was not allowed into the heavens?_

"_It appears someone wants you back. I hope it is for a good cause." My father said his eyes narrowing as he watched me try to fight my way to them._

"_Will you be here when I get back?" I asked desperately, not wanting to lose what I had just gotten._

_I felt my heart breaking as my mother shook her head._

"_Once you pass over, you cannot go back." She said, coming over and placing a hand on my cheek. "But when you truly pass over, we will be waiting right here for you." She said._

_I didn't get a chance to respond as the yellow spindles suddenly jerked my back and towards the lake I had been sitting by. I followed the lines with my eyes and saw that they were leading into the lake. 'Oh no, I do not want to go into any more lakes!' I thought, but it was useless as they dragged me in. With one last, hard tug, I was dragged into the lake._

_My body began to pulse. I felt as if I were being shocked with the things doctors used to bring people back. I could feel my body begin to shift back into my true form, and I could feel the biting cold and heaviness of the water. Finally my body began to shudder and I began coughing out all the water I had inhaled just before dying._

_No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to get my breathing under control. It took several minutes before I calmed enough to growl out. "How am I alive?"_

"_I brought you back." A monotone voice said and I froze with the exception of the large shivers that ran through me._

I looked up to see Sesshomaru standing just in front of me, his eyes narrowed as if the sight of me disgusted him. I could only imagine what I looked like, a cold, wet, shivering dog in front of a regal lord such as himself.

'_Thank you, Sesshomaru.'_ I barked, not having recovered enough strength to change back to my human form. _'Though may I ask why did you bring me back?'_

I could see a flash of something pass through his eyes though it was too quick for me to identify what it was.

"The Ryu-Inu has long been the most powerful subjects of the west, their power only being surpassed by the ruling family. As the lord of the west, it would be foolish of me to let the breed die out."

'_I see, well thank you. How shall I repay you?' _Even as I asked, I had a feeling I already knew where this was going.

"You are to return to the west where I will decide more upon arrival." As he spoke, I thought of the group I didn't want to leave. As if reading my thoughts, he continued. "I have brought you back to life, and you owe that life to me."

'_Ok Sesshomaru, I will go with you back to the west.'_ 'As much as I didn't want to'.

"You will refer to me by my title as Lord Sesshomaru" He said through eyes so narrowed that they looked like slits.

'_Yes, Lord Sesshomaru.' _I nearly snarled, but kept it to a sharp bark. _'Can I at least say good bye to my friends. They will find it strange when they come back and see my body no longer here and find your scent in the area.'_

"You are to return here at midday." He said and walked off.

'Oh, what have I gotten myself into?' I thought with a growl and began hauling myself back to the village, slowly using my fire abilities to warm my skin and dry my fur.

By the time I got to the village I had just enough energy to transform back and continue limping towards the inn.

"AHH!" I heard a shrill voice yell and turned to see Shippo standing in the window of the room we had used. He was looking straight at me and disappeared into the inn as I looked back at him.

Since he had seen me I figured he would get the others, so I settled for sitting on the porch of the inn and waiting for the others to come out. No need to overwork myself.

"She's out here, I saw her with my own eyes. Just come outside and look." I could hear Shippo and the others coming out of the inn.

"Shippo we know this has been hard, but it's probably your imagination acting up." It was Sango who spoke to the kit, though her voice soft in a comforting tone. The group continued walking out straight past me, Shippo talking them to where he had seen me.

"No he's right." I said, smiling slightly as the group has walked straight out of the inn without seeing me.

Their collective gasps were loud as they turned and saw me leaning against the wall.

"Oh…my… gosh…, Kazuko, you're alive!" Kagome said rushing over to be and giving me a hug with strength I didn't even think she possessed.

"Hey, you're a bit tight there. Let's not squeeze all the life out of me just after I got it back." I said with a light chuckle and she released me.

"How? Why?" Sango said coming over. Her eyes showing the confusion and disbelieve that I'm sure everyone was feeling.

"I'll tell you guys but," I started, turning to look directly at the half-demon then continued, "you guys can't interrupt me or freak out."

When they all nodded I took a deep breath and started. "Well I'm not exactly sure how he did it, but Sess… Lord Sesshomaru brought me back. Though he did it at a price, I have to work for him now. He said the Ryu-Inus were once the most powerful subjects of the west and he's seen this as a way to force me to bring that. Now before you guys argue and say I don't have to go, I kind of do. After all he did bring me back to life; I owe him a debt too big to pay any other way."

I watched as all of their eyes grew wider and wider, and they seemed to wait for me to say more. "Oh, that's it, you can respond now."

"There is no way you're going to become a slave to that pompous ass jerk!" Inuyasha snarled, placing a hand on Tessaiga as if Sesshomaru was standing in front of him.

"Ok, two things about that. One, I'm not going to be a slave; he probably wants me in his army or something. Two, he brought me back to life I owe him. Unfortunately without him I wouldn't be able to choose because I would be dead." I said with a heavy sigh.

"But if you go with him, it would mean you wouldn't be with us anymore. You've seen how Inuyasha and him get along." Sango said, and I could only nod.

"I'm sure I'll see you guys again. I'll make sure of it. Plus, he is a full dog demon and he's been training me at nights." I said, and sighed as they gasped at it. "As much as I appreciate Kilala's training, I need training that Sesshomaru is the only one capable of giving at the moment."

"I understand." Miroku said and Sango, Kilala and Kagome reluctantly agreed.

"If he does anything I'll kill 'em for you." Inuyasha growled, and I gave him a fang filled smile. I think that had to be the nicest thing he has said to me since I got here, and it was probably the nicest thing I was going to get.

"I figured you would." I said, standing up and giving him and the rest of the group a hug. "But, I think I can handle myself."

I had to chuckle as they all gave me the same look, the 'didn't you just die' look.

"Ok, so ignore what's happened for the last few horus. Other than that I can handle myself." I joked, looking at everyone. "I'll visit when I can."

"Kazuko?" The fox kit's voice drew my attention to where he stood on the ground directly in front of me. "I… can… I mean do you think…" He had tears in his eyes as he stumbled over his words.

"If it's ok with the group, you can come with me." I said softly, knowing where he was going with this.

The young demon looked up to the others.

"As much as we want you to stay, we understand why you would want to go." Kagome said and I agreed.

Though it was sad to think about, the fact was Shippo was a full demon and I had learned about demon life spans in comparison to humans. Shippo looked only to be five or six years old, but I had learned that he was in his mid teens. I understood that by the time he even looked like a teenager, the others would be old or even dead from old age. He needed to be with those who could match his life span and truly help him grow.

"What about Sesshomaru?" Kagome mentioned.

"I can't see why he'd have a problem. Shippo is a full demon and if he does, I'll take care of him." My words held a mischievous humor to them.

"When do you leave?" It was clear that Kagome was trying to hold herself together.

"Noon." I responded looking up at the sun that was almost directly above us. "So I guess that would be soon." My sigh was heavy as I couldn't stand to see them looking at me with the sad gazes I knew they had.

"We'll see you. We never go long without that bastard coming after Tessaiga." Inuyasha said, and I knew it was his weird 'macho' way of comforting us.

"Yea, I better get going." I said, looking to Shippo who was hugging the rest. "Come on Shippo, don't want to get him mad on the first day." I said with a light, dry laugh and began to lead him out of the village.

I couldn't turn around.

I wouldn't turn around.

The scent of tears and sadness was too much, and I knew I would break down if I were to look back. Instead I lead Shippo back to the side of the lake.

While we waited he began showing me some of the fox magic he had been working on. It was clear that he was more interested in distracting himself, than showing me his tricks and I was more than happy for the distraction.

The kit paused and I felt the strong aura coming at us just as Sesshomaru broke the tree cover. He didn't say anything, but settled for looking at Shippo, and I could just barely make out his left eyebrow raising.

"He wants to come with me. He's not even going to be fully matured before they would all die of old age, at least with me he can have someone who has a life span like his and can truly provide for him." I said, and got a slight incline of his head which I took as an 'ok'.

We watched as the demon lord turned and began to walk back from where he came. I lifted the kit and began following the silver hair demon with a sigh. 'Here we go.'


	13. What Is This Feeling

**Ok, so here it is right to the hour. As promised, in 7 days I give you the lastest chapter of 'Where I Belong'. I appreciate all of the support you guys have given me. It feels good to know that you guys love the story enough to wait. **

**So I'm not going to bore you with a lot in this info section. I will say that this is rated M for a reason and you see a bit of why in this chapter. **

**Enjoy! ^^  
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><p><strong>~What Is This Feeling~<strong>

It had been three months since I'd joined Sesshomaru's group. Fall was beginning, and for once in my life I could fully appreciate it.

Back in Tokyo, it had been so crowded, with so little nature, that I had never been able to enjoy simple things like the changing of the leaves. Now I had more than enough time as we slowly progressed towards the western castle.

We should, and would, have been at the castle by now, but there have been a few distractions.

First being that every time so much as a whisper of Naraku reached us, our course would change to find the half demon. Each rumor had proven to be a bust, and surprisingly we hadn't run into the evil half demon.

Second reason, was because we were running into another half demon. To my pleasure, and to Sesshomaru's displeasure, we've run into Inuyasha's group five times. Each time, the brothers went through their fighting ritual. It was during these fights that I had come up with an idea, which could just be my imagination. I have begun to think that Sesshomaru doesn't hold any true desire to kill Inuyasha. Instead it's as if he's testing Inuyasha.

Third, and biggest reason, is that we've been traveling completely on foot. I know Sesshomaru is keeping the pace slow, so not to completely wear out the children and Jaken. The western lord would probably never admit to this, but I knew it was true. If we'd traveled with true demon speed, we'd probably have already been there.

I was grateful for the slower pace, because the nightly training sessions had gone from difficult to impossible. So much so that even my spirit trainers had pulled back the intensity after seeing how worn out I was. It was the same seemingly impossible training session that I was currently in the middle of.

"You're moving slow." I glared into golden eyes that looked indifferently back at my violet ones. The cold steel of his Tenseiga was pressed against my throat. Even though I knew the sword couldn't cut, the feeling of a sword tip at my throat was hard not to be unnerved by.

"I haven't slept in a month." I mumbled as I tried to sort out a way to get out of this.

"Then admit defeat." He suggested, or demanded, as he applied a bit more pressed to the sword at my neck.

My staff lay on the ground off to the side, my chest heaved and my mind was hazy from exhaustion. I still could not show my other abilities, via my spirit instructors demanded it be kept a secret. All I had to go off of was my lightning abilities since that particular one had already been revealed.

Slowly my hands rose in a surrendering motion, as a thought came to my mind. I closed my eyes and put up a facade of defeat, all the while grinning inwardly. Cold steel was no longer pressed so close to my throat as I could tell Sesshomaru was loosening his grip. Just as my hands reached the side of my face, my eyes flashed open and a smirk revealed one of my deadly fangs.

"No." I said simply and released a charge of lightning from my palms and to the western lord. To make the attack effective I aimed at the Tenseiga and used it as a lightning rod to stun the western lord.

The effects of my paralyzing attack didn't hold long due to my fatigue but it lasted long enough for me to grab my staff and leap to the other side of the practice clearing.

"Hn." As the dog demon turned, I knew that was the closest thing to 'well-played' that I was going to get from him.

"Thank you, lord Sesshomaru." I joked, taking a mock bow. The clenching of his jaw and grip on his sword was just barely visible, and I doubt I would have noticed at all if I hadn't been traveling with him for the past months.

Deciding that I would like to finish this battle, I began to twirl my staff in my left hand, allowing a visible charge to begin building around the tips. The faster I spun, the more the attack began to take on the shape of a dragon's tail. The attack was called the Thunder Tail Strike, given by its tail-like appearance.

I had learned that there were five different 'strikes' each the most powerful attack of their respective elements. There was the Thunder Tail of lightning, the Wind Wing of air, the Fire Fang of flames, the Hurricane Horn of water, and the Crater Claw of earth. Each attack could be done without a medium when I was in true form, but when I was in my human form I had to use my staff or it wouldn't work. So far I had mastered the Thunder Tail and Wind Wing.

As I prepared to unleash my attack I was stopped by Sesshomaru raising his hand and sheathing his sword, his usual way of saying the session was over.

Instead of verbalizing my confusion I discharged the attack on a nearby tree and tilted my head in question.

"We will arrive at the castle tomorrow." It was the only explanation he gave before walking back in the direction of camp.

'_I guess he wants to show up looking his best.'_ I thought as I followed.

In the time we'd traveled, both of us had gotten several tears and rips on our clothing. Yet, when I would stop in a town to get a new set, he always refused to go near the 'human dwellings'. Perhaps he had a demon tailor back at the castle. I doubted he walked around in tattered clothing often, it was completely unlike him.

**Perhaps he has no interest in such trivial things such as physical appearance. His power is far greater than just about any demon alive. **My inner demon suggested and I nodded slightly at the observation. If someone did dare make fun of Sesshomaru's appearance, I doubt they would live long enough to tell anyone else.

One good thing about this trip, has been that I have been able to get a better hold on my inner demon. During one of the rare training sessions where Sesshomaru answered my questions verbally, he had informed me that the inner demon was like a powerful child. Rebellious, but once you learned to control it you were fine. Many demons that went on rages were the result of not being able to control their inner demons properly. I our traveling time, when I was entertaining Shippo and Rin, as time to better understand my inner demon.

I had learned that my inner demon had been there from the beginning, but the sealing spell had prevented it from speaking with me. Instinctively, my inner demon knew more than me as far as basic survival. But my time being raised by humans had affected it as well, so that the deeper demon knowledge was lost on it as well.

"Jaken." I was snapped out of my thoughts as I watched Sesshomaru kick Jaken in the side. As much as I didn't truly care for the imp, I still felt bad for him sometimes.

"Ah yes milord." The toad squawked, as I went to sit on the opposite side of camp where Rin and Shippo were setting up their blankets.

"Take Ah-Uh and alert Hiro that we will be arriving at the palace tomorrow morning. Tell him to have two more rooms prepared; one for a Ryu-Inu female and the other for a male Kitsune kit." Sesshomaru ordered.

"Of course Milord, right away." Jaken was practically tripping over his staff as he grabbed the reins to the two headed dragon and got onto the saddle.

"Have a safe trip Ah-Uh." I said, placing a hand on each head of the two headed dragon.

'May you have the same,' Ah stated.

'Lady Kazuko.' Uh finished as the dragon took off.

I had learned that dragons such as Ah-Uh had their own language that no other demon could understand. With my Ryu blood I was able to understand most of their language. This of course got under the western lord's skin, as I was able to communicate with one of his subjects that he could not.

"Kazuko?" I turned my attention away from the dragon and turned towards the two small children who had moved their blankets in front of where I was going to sit.

"Yes Rin?" I asked, getting as comfortable as I could as I sat down and leaned back on the tree trunk I was against.

"Can you tell us a story before we go to sleep?" She asked, her eyes brimming so hard with expectation that I found it hard to resist.

"Ok, what kind of story should I tell?" Both children seem to think on the subject, and while they did I watched the western lord take a seat against a tree across the fire from us.

"How about a story with magic?" Shippo shouted as he came to his own conclusion.

"We heard a magic story yesterday." Rin said with a mild pout. "How about a love story with a princess?" Noticing Shippo's disappointment at this I came up with a solution.

"How about I tell a magical love story?" I suggested and gave a slight sigh of relief with both nodded their heads in wonder. It was so nice to see such innocence in light of everything that had been happening.

"Ok I'm going to tell you the story of Princess Mia and Prince Tsuyoshi. They were once next in line to rule over the Ryu-Inu clan." I started, watching as the children began to get settled in their blankets.

"You're a Ryu-Inu, right Kazuko?" Rin asked and I gave a nod.

"They were a very well like couple. Princess Mia was said to be the nicest demoness to ever walk, and Prince Tsuyoshi was the bravest and strongest elemental warrior, who fought beside the western lord in the great battle against the south." I continued, realizing that my father had fought beside Sesshomaru. "The Ryu-Inu clan was very happy when news of Princess Mia's pregnancy spread. As was custom, when the current heir gave birth to a new heir, the current lord and lady would step down."

"So Tsuyoshi and Mia were going to become the lord and lady of the clan when the baby was born?" Shippo asked, quickly picking up on the implication of what I had said. He looked to be on the verge of sleep, and Rin's breathing had already evened out showing that she had fallen asleep.

"Correct, and the clan couldn't have been happier. It was a special event for the clan, as they prepared to great their new lord, lady and heir. They prepared a magical festival, where the top magicians of the clan would showcase their magic in honor of the new royal family." I smiled as I saw that Shippo had joined Rin in the realm of sleep and finished quietly to myself. "Unfortunately they never got to have their festival." I whispered. "Why did I have to be a damn Shogakko!" I whispered angrily, staring deeply into the fire.

**~Sesshomaru~**

"Unfortunately they never got to have their festival." Her voice was so quiet and soft that even I had to strain to make sure I heard her correctly.

Her knowledge of the Ryu-Inu clan was extensive for someone who claimed to have only learned of their demon heritage a few moons ago.

"Why did I have to be a damn Shogakko!" Again her whisper was faint, but I picked up the words clearly this time. As what she said processed within my mind, my eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise.

**She is the Shogakko, you've heard it from her very mouth!** My demon roared, as it felt that same suspicion of deception that I had felt. **She has been lying, and is ours. Take her now!**

My demon was right about part of it, though for some reason I couldn't bring myself to fully believe that she had been purposely keeping this information from me.

'_The body of the heir was never found. The heir was female, as is Kazuko. Perhaps the best plan for the Ryu-Inu had been to hide the child until it was old enough to avenge the clan.'_ I thought, and though disgusting I realized that hiding a demon child among humans was a strategically sound idea. _'They must have used some sort of spell to hide her demonic blood away. It would make since that she was raised by humans in a distant land, and perhaps has recently learned of what and who she is.'_ I thought, always having more thoughts than I would ever speak to another person.

**Regardless, we know who she is. She is the Princess Misaki, and our betrothed! ** As usual my beast was on a tirade and not listening to logic.

'Yes she is our mate.' I finally said to the beast to calm it.

**Then we will claim her, though the fox kit provides a problem. **I sighed at the primitive nature of my beast.

It was true that in demon culture, if a female had children the new male would kill the children so that she would only care for what came from his seed. There was also the dominance issue of having a non-related male in one's pack. But I saw no reason to kill the fox kit for this primitive idea. The fox kit was not providing anymore intervention than Rin, and he was not even her child by birth. Only if the fox kit proved to be a distraction later, then I would deal with him.

'The kit is not to be harmed, he poses no threat.' I could feel my inner demon beginning to stir in protest. 'He is still at least a half century away from maturity. If a problem arises I will take care of it them.' I added to quell the storm I knew was brewing.

**Fine, but at the first sign of trouble, the kit is to be disposed of. **My demon seemed to have more to say, but it paused and after a few moments gave a low chuckle. **Though that is not an issue at the moment.** I did not know what my demon meant and figured my demon was going crazy and saw this as time to end the conversation.

I would never admit it, but as I came out of my inner argument I was shocked to see Kazuko staring at me from across the fire. Her stare was so intense that she had to have been staring for a while, and I inwardly cursed myself for not noticing sooner. I felt no reason to have a staring contest and was going to turn away, until the wind picked up. This time I felt my eyes widen a noticeable amount, and my eyes began to bleed red, and I noticed Kazuko's wear as well.

**Ah ha! I see you have noticed as well.** My demon purred, its' presence becoming stronger as I felt it trying to take over.

'She is entering her heat.' I dully responded, trying to keep control.

**And from the smell of it, her first one. If there ever was a time to take her, I'd say that it's coming up.**

All I could do was nod slightly. From the scent that was crossing the fire; I could tell that she was just starting the first week of the cycling process, the calling period. I had a week to prepare, if this truly was her first heat, my entire castle needed to be warned. Also it appeared that my self-control was going to be tested in the month to come.

**Just wait until you slip. I'll be waiting.** My beast purred and I didn't doubt for a second that it would take whatever chance it could. I was more than sure that should my control waver, my inner demon would use it as a time to take over and claim Kazuko.

**~Kazuko~**

'_Look away dammit!'_ I shouted at myself as I could take my eyes away from Sesshomaru, who seemed to have entered a staring contest with me.

**Why? He is attractive is he not? **My inner demon purred. At the moment my inner demon was trying to take over for some reason and we each had about half the control.

'Well yes, I mean no! I…grrrr…I don't know what I mean. Just look away!' I argued with myself.

I had no idea why, but despite the dropping temperature, I felt as if I was standing on the edge of a volcano and getting closer to the center. What made it worse was where the heat was spreading from. It was exactly painful, just annoying and uncomfortable. It couldn't have been the fire, because the wind was blowing the flames away from me and in Sesshomaru's direction.

Speaking of Sesshomaru's direction, as I watched a particularly hard gust of wind go by, I noticed a change in him. His eyes were brimming with red, and I could just make out his nostrils flaring.

**I think he wants you.** My demon sounded like one of my friends from high school when we would see guys looking in our direction.

'I don't care, now look away!'

**You want him.**

'Look away.'

**You didn't deny it.**

'I did too.'

**No you didn't you just said 'look away'. **Great, now my own inner demon was mocking me.

'Well I meant to say it. I don't want him, now look away.'

**I see no reason to.**

'Oh look the kids are stirring.' I thought and as my inner demon was momentarily distracted I was able to gain the upper hand and turn away. 'Ha! I tricked you.'

**So you tricked yourself?**

'Yes! Wait… Oh shut up.' I growled quietly at myself as I realized how insane I was becoming.

'_I should find Kilala and ask her if she knows what's going on.'_ I thought, thinking back to about a week ago when we'd last seen Inuyasha and the group. _'It hasn't rained since then, so I should still be able to track the scent.'_

"I'll be back by morning." I said quickly to the demon lord as I transformed and took to the skies back to the place we'd seen the group. I had come to the conclusion that if Sesshomaru could just disappear for periods of time without warning, I could do the same if I gave a bit of a heads up.

Sesshomaru seemed as if he was going to say something but didn't. Instead he gave off an annoyed, and uncharacteristically loud, growl.

I found my way back to the clearing without any problem, mostly from the fact that Inuyasha's Wind Scar had left the area looking like an entire horde had been through. I picked up on Inuyasha's scent, because the unique blend of human and demon was easier to follow than anyone else in the group.

'_Good they went east.' _I thought, tracking the scent. Luckily with Inuyasha's habit to travel by tree branches, his scent was on the top of the trees allowing me to follow it while I was flying.

It took around two hours but I was able to trace the scent to a small village just inside of the Eastern Lands. I knew I should probably be cautious, knowing that entering an enemy land smelling like the western lord would not make anyone too happy.

As I covered my aura and scent the best I could, I tracked the group down to the headman's house. No doubt Miroku had performed another one of his phony exorcisms. I hovered just outside of the room I could where I could smell Kilala, Sango and Kagome.

'Kilala!' I whined, trying to keep my voice down as low as possible.

There was a slight stirring in the window I was looking through, but then it stopped. Grumbling I knew I would have to be a little louder. A thought occurred to be as I backed up into the forest, so that I was hidden from sight.

'Kilala! It's Kazuko, I need your help!' I howled, sounding exactly like the demonic dragon dog I was. I had to admit that there were probably a lot of children running to their parent's room after hearing the echoes of my howl.

I wanted a few minutes, and just as I was about to do another I could see a blur of red charging my way.

'_Inuyasha isn't exactly who I was expecting.'_ I thought as I transformed back to normal and used my staff to block his sword. With a flick of my wrist I disarmed him and folded my arms over my chest.

"We really do have to stop meeting like this. Why not be like normal people and just say 'hi' instead of swinging at me with your giant fang?" I fake pouted as I watched the half demon's eyes go from annoyed to confused to realization and back to annoyed.

"Kazuko what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Sesshomaru?" He spat, and I watched as he sniffed the air around us.

"Hi Inuyasha nice to see you too, and I'm taking a break from your brother right now." I responded, rolling my eyes.

"Half-brother." The half demon corrected. "You smell different." He said sniffing me and I swatted him away. Retrieving his sword, Inuyasha continued to scowl at me.

"Whatever. I came to talk to Kilala, can you get her for me?" I asked.

'I am here.' Kilala said running up and jumping onto my shoulder. She brushed her cheek against mine before stopping and sniffing around my neckline.

"Just don't go doing that again. You scared the entire village!" Inuyasha scolded and I gave him a sincere apologetic look.

"Ok, tell the rest of the gang that I'm sorry. I just couldn't think of any other way to get Kilala's attention. You have to admit, it's a lot better than having a strange demoness just walk into the village." I said giving the half demon a hug.

Since the incident at the lake, Inuyasha and I had reached a mutual respect for each other. I wasn't sure if we were quite friends yet, but he trusted me and knew I had no ill intentions towards him or the others.

"Yea, guess you got a point. I'm guessing you don't want anyone to know you're here?" He asked, and I nodded. "Then I'll wait till morning to tell the rest that it was you." He returned my hug briefly and headed back towards the village.

'I can guess why you've come.' Kilala said as I sat down. She turned into her battle form and I transformed into my true form. It was always the best method for us to speak without humans, or certain half-demons, spying on us.

'It has something to do with my scent right?' I asked in a quiet whine. Now that Inuyasha had mentioned it, I could notice a change in my scent.

'Yes, it would appear you're going into your first heat.' The fire cat stated and my confused look was all she needed to continue. 'Female demons go through periods called heat, which is basically the time that they search for a mate.'

'Speaking of mate, I hear the word a lot; even my inner demon says it. I still don't know what that means.' I stated, laying my head on my paws.

'It's what humans call husbands and wives and marriage. We demons just use the term mate and mated.' Kilala, as usual seemed amused by my lack of demonic knowledge.

'Ah, now I get it.' I thought, cringing now that I knew exactly what my inner demon had meant.

'Yes. Now as far as your heat is concerned, I don't know the specifics. Heats vary with different types of demons. What I can tell you is that each unmated demon has three parts to their heat, the calling period, the challenging period, and the mating period. The calling period is when the body begins to send out messages, such as a change in scent, that the female is entering heat and is unmated. Mated demonesses don't have this stage. The challenging period, at least for nekos, is when the female's scent becomes so strong that it drives the males fight to prove their worth. And the mating period is when they mate.' Kilala explained, and I couldn't help but feel that she often dumbed down some of her explanations to help me.

'Ok, but I don't want to be mated. So how can I keep this from happening?' I asked, my ears flicking in slight embarrassment from what I was learning.

Kilala let out a long purr of amusement and I gave a soft growl. 'You can't. Heats are not optional, every female demoness goes through it until they can no longer have young.'

'_And here I thought I was lucky for never having to go through having a period. I would so take that over this.'_ I thought sourly. 'Ok, what about how to keep male demons from seeking me out?'

'The best, and only, option, would be to just keep your aura and scent as suppressed as possible until it ends.' The neko said after a few moments of thought.

'How will I know when it ends?' I barked in question.

'You feel like you're warmer than normal, right?' She asked and I nodded. 'It's going to get a lot worse, almost to the point where you feel like you're on fire. Then it'll go away. When it goes away, then you're done.'

'Ok, I guess I have no choice but to survive through it.' I mumbled. 'Though I guess I can thank Sesshomaru for his training sessions, I should be able to keep the males away until it's over.' I said and noticed Kilala giving me an unsure look. 'What?'

'What about Sesshomaru? Last I checked he was unmated? Can you fight off him?' She asked, sounding very worried for me. It was true I most likely couldn't beat Sesshomaru in a fight if he were to come at me with his best. 'Maybe you should stay with us until it's over. We can help you fight him off.'

'There's no need.' I barked almost laughing. 'Mr. Ice King has no interest in me. You know, I kind of doubt he has any interest in anything besides power. Knowing him, he'll just get annoyed at all the male demons coming around.' I joked shaking my head. 'He's too in control of himself to let something like this have any affect.'

'If you say so, but just in case we're heading south. We've gotten reports of some jewel shards in the southern lands, so we'll be there if you need us.' The neko was truly a good friend.

'Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.' I said, standing up, noticing that the sun would be rising soon.

'Be safe Kazuko! And tell Shippo we said hi!' She roared as I took to the skies and back towards the campsite.

'Same to you!' I howled into the night air.

**~Unknown~**

"You are sure? Know that if this information proves false than this war will be for naught and I will ensure that you die a slow and painful death." A large bull demon said sitting on a throne that was made from an eerie mix of black diamonds and bones. His black, pupil-less eyes were narrowed at the shadow fox demon kneeling before him.

"Yes Lord Toro I speak the truth. It was a Ryu-Inu female that I saw enter the lands. She appeared to have allies staying in an inn on a village just within the lands." The shadow fox said, not daring to look up at the fearsome bull that was the eastern lord.

"And you are sure that it is the missing Shogakko?" The bull stood from his throne and walked towards a battle table that lay to the side. As the moonlight hit his frame, it was clear that this demon prided himself on strength as his muscles were evident with each motion of his large body.

"Of course, the only body not recovered from the massacre was that of the infant _female_ Shogakko." The kitsune chanced a glance up, to see the eastern lord's back towards him.

"But you say she has the appearance of a mature demoness. It has only been a little less than two decades, she would not look as so." The eastern lord, said though his voice betrayed that he was unsure.

"It is most likely some kind of spell; most likely the same kind that kept her hidden from you for all this time." The fox offered in suggestions.

"Yes perhaps. GO prepare my army, general, we shall find and capture what is rightfully ours." The eastern lord said, a twisted smirk forming on his face.

"And Lord Toro, I have one more piece of information that I believe you'll find interesting." The fox added with a sly smirk of his own.

"What is it general?" The bull said turning to stare at the fox with a raised eyebrow.

"She is entering her first heat, and is unclaimed." The fox mentioned, his tail swaying.

"Even better, I was in search for a new mate. It appears my search is at an end." The eastern lord said as he took a seat on his throne. He clasped his fingers under his chin as he thought over the information that he had received. "This will prove to be very interesting." He stated as his general left the room.


	14. The Thrill of the Chase

**Here is the next chapter. You guys have been so supportive that all the reviews had me enjoying spending the entire weekend writing and editing this chapter. I always spend at least 10 hours per chapter, whether it is 1 1/2 hours a day for a week, or 5 hours one day and 5 hours another. I find this makes it easier to get the drafts edited so that the quality is great. I spent 15 hours this weekend on this, because it was just so much for to write and read. I have to say this may be one of my favorite chapters, and I hope y'all like it.  
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**I have gotten a question about Kikyo. I never liked her on the show, so she most likely won't be in this.**

**I also got a question on Naraku. He will be in this, I just haven't been able to figure out a way to put him in the story without it looking like I just stuck him in without it being important to the plot. If any of y'all have a suggestion on this one, I'd love to hear it.**

**I think that's it for now. So...**

**Enjoy! ^^  
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><p><strong>~The Thrill of the Chase~<strong>

"It's so big." The small, green-eyed fox said as he looked up at the castle. It had taken slightly longer than expected to get to the castle and the sun was already setting when we arrived. We were at a large gate with two guards stationed on either side of it.

One guard smelled to be a bird demon of some sort, and the other smelled of boar. Both were male, and both were staring at me as if I was the last donut at an AA meeting.

I tried not to notice, but Sesshomaru definitely did.

After several moments of their staring and not moving the western lord was fed up.

"Open the gate." He snapped.

Since last night he hadn't quite been himself. He was showing way more emotion than usual, and most of it in the form of anger or annoyance.

"Uh… Yes! Of course lord Sesshomaru!" The bird demon said as the two guards almost ran into each other to lift the gate.

I let Rin lead me and Shippo in, and I could hear a vicious snarl radiating from Sesshomaru as he passed the guards.

I didn't know what was up with him, but I had too much to deal with at the moment to worry about him.

Kilala had been right. In the twelve hours since I'd talked to the neko, my body felt three times warmer than before. It was to the point that I was considering just stripping and finding the nearest river to jump in.

I had also found myself becoming more and more fascinated by the western lord, something I didn't want any part of.

It wasn't that Sesshomaru was unattractive, he was far from it. It was his attitude that was such a turn off. I knew that the statuses of men and women here were much different than what I was used to, but I just couldn't get used to it. I refused to be a doormat for some guy. If I was going to be with someone, they had to respect me as equals. This was a concept that Sesshomaru completely didn't get, and thus I refused to even think of him as a potential 'mate' as my demon kept calling it.

Of course my demon seemed minimally concerned with my personal opinion on the situation. My beast seems to think the appropriate path was to mate him first, and then work to make him see me as an equal.

Just when I had thought I was gaining a real sense of control over my inner demon, it had suddenly gone on a tirade, trying to take over whenever it could.

"So Rin this is your home?" I asked as we reached the door.

"Yes, isn't it so pretty? I can show you around if you want." She suggested, though I knew she really wanted to show us around. Before I could answer, however the western lord butted in.

"Rin you may show Shippo around. Kazuko has more important business to attend to." Sesshomaru said with a tone and look that left no room for argument.

I could see that Rin was disappointed and thought of a way to make it up.

"How about when I finish whatever it is, you can give me that tour?" I asked, and smiled as Rin brightened back to her usual self and nodded.

"Ok, let's go Shippo. I can show you my room; maybe they gave you a room by me." She said grabbing the kit's hand.

"Is that ok Kazuko? Do you want me to wait?" The kit asked looking up with an unsure expression.

"Sure Shippo. I'm sure whatever this is won't take long and I'll catch up with you guys." I said, and watched as the children went running down the hall. "So what is it that's so important that I couldn't have a tour?" I asked turning to face the western lord.

"Come." He stated simply. I rolled my eyes but still followed. "The council will arrive in two weeks' time."

"What council?" I asked, as he led us up a flight of stairs much more elegant that I had ever seen. He'd brought up the council before but I hadn't thought much of it.

"The council is the ruling body of demons that are of the highest ranking." I could sense a bit of tension in Sesshomaru's voice as he said this. I could only image how hard it was for Mr. Ego to admit that there was a group of people that held more power and pull than him.

"Ok, so what does that have to do with me?" We reached the third story of the castle and began traveling down a hallway that was completely dark with only small glowing orbs of yellow from sparsely arranged candles on the wall.

"They will wish to meet with you, as the surviving heir of what was once a powerful clan." He seemed to be in some sort of a rush, as I could just barely make out that he sounded a bit hoarse. He almost sounded like he was panting.

"Ah ok, they want to see if I'm real. I can get that." I said, thinking over having to meet with the council. It almost reminded me of the board I had to interview with to get into my high school. I wasn't so bad at impressing people when I had to.

"They will also need a formal acknowledgement on my mating status." He added, opening the door to a room that was much too large to belong in this time period.

His last sentence was lost on me as I walked past him and into the room.

It was slightly better lit, due largely to the fact that there was a window with a balcony against the far wall. It didn't have glass, but I reminded myself that glass was not as widely used here as it was in my time. Instead it had dark purple curtains providing a barrier. The sheets ruffled as a breeze blew through.

I was surprised to see a large bed that looked to be from my time. It stood on four legs of dark wood and had to be the size of a modern-day Deluxe King bed. It was covered in numerous black and silver furs with a large, golden silk sheet showing at the edge of the bed. After having traveled so long and sleeping on the forest floor and on tree branches, it was the most inviting thing I had ever seen. I couldn't help but walk over and run my hand over the soft furs. I think I was practically drooling over imaging getting a good sleep for once.

The walls of the room were done in dark silver. It wasn't like most dark silver's that looked gray. It was clear that it was still silver with the way it gave off a regal glow. The candles flickered off the walls so that it gave a glow to the whole room with how the silver reflected the light. I could just barely make out a ring of gold making a pattern around the top of the wall, but it was too dark to tell what it was exactly. I figured earlier in the day it would have been clearer.

There was a table in the corner of the room on the other side of the bed. It was a simple table with an empty vase on it. There was a large dresser against a side wall and a trunk beside it with a mirror over it. The floor wasn't wood like the rest of what I'd seen. Instead it was made of a soft, plush material; I guessed it to be fur given the lack of other resources in this time. Having been walking barefoot for the last few months, I welcomed the softness on the soles of my feet.

I remember having seen a hut with steam coming up from it. Reminding myself that this era didn't have indoor plumbing, I guessed that the hut had been the bathing house. I definitely needed some quality time with that hut.

"This room is so beautiful. Is it yours?" I asked turning back to face the western lord who hadn't moved one inch since I'd walked in. The room didn't necessarily smell of him, it just has a lingering hint of his scent like the rest of the castle. I imaged that if it was his room his scent would be much thicker here.

I could see his hand still tightly gripping the sliding door. "Sesshomaru?" I asked, forgetting the 'lord' as I noticed his eyes were flashing between their natural gold and his demonic red.

I began to take a step back but was frozen in my spot by the feral growl that ripped from the western lord.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked my voice a mix between confusion, fear and defiance. His growl had clearly been a challenge as if daring me to move.

The western lord finally moved, but as soon as he did I did as well. Something about this wasn't right, He was moving with slow steps as if he was not completely sure of his steps.

**~Sesshomaru~**

"What's wrong with you?" Her last sentence had me moving forward and towards the Ryu-Inu female.

**There you go Sesshomaru. You are alone, in what is soon to be your mated room, take her here and now.** My inner demon purred in amusement, knowing full well that it was him that was moving my steps.

I had lost it when the wind had blown her scent into the room. I had made it a point to stay upwind of the demoness on the way here so that I could block out her scent. But with her standing directly between the window and me, the scent had carried with a sting. My beast wasted no time in ceasing this momentary lapse as his opportunity to force his way to the front of my consciousness.

'It is not time. She is not even in her mating period. To take her now would not produce an heir.' I snarled at my beast, one of the rare occasions since I'd matured that I wasn't in the majority of control.

**This isn't about an heir and you know it.** My inner demon chuckled.

He was right it wasn't just about her mating cycle. I had, begrudgingly, begun to develop a respect for the female. She was defiant, mysterious, confusing and kind. I had never met a demon that showed as much compassion as she did. She held no hatred towards human, due to her being raised by them. Something about her was getting under my skin. I tried to tell myself that her constant presence in my thoughts was annoying and unwanted, but even I knew self-denial when I saw it; and unfortunately I saw it in myself.

I had been raised and hardened myself to think that females, and just about every creature, was beneath me. But through watching her and the training sessions I was beginning to second guess my earlier assumptions. While she may not yet equal me in power, her fiery spirit and defiance for giving up made up for the slack.

My father had once told me what the feeling of bonding, or as humans called it love, felt like. I had always seen it as a lie, since my father claimed that he never bonded to my mother but somehow had bonded to a human. What he said, seemed to match everything I thought and felt about the Ryu-Inu female, but I refused to let myself be burdened by such connections. I had seen what happened to the 'love-sick' fools, such as my father, it only ended in disaster.

**When was the last time that we have had a female in our bed? Well over a half century I would say. **My demon butted in interrupting my thoughts.

'I have no need for such trivial pleasures.' As I snarled it at myself, I knew it wasn't true. Despite my cold demeanor, I was a male and still had the same damn primal urges that other males had. Usually I would find a maid or some sort of wandering demoness to sate my desires, but with Naraku's appearance I hadn't been able to do so.

**Go ahead and claim her. That's what you plan to do in two weeks correct? So what difference does it make if she's in her mating period or not? Mate with her now and just continue until she is.** My beast was enjoying this too much for my liking. I could feel my body following her as she began to step back. I snarled a warning, knowing that the thought of a chase was just making my beast more excited, but she continued to step back until her back hit the wall beside the balcony opening.

"**Where will you go now**?" The voice that left me wasn't my own, or rather my usual. My inner beast had taken over and now I had to fight before this went too far. I could already see her eyes flashing from their usual violet to a much brighter violet that was rimed with red.

She was bordering on losing control as well.

**~Kazuko~**

"**Where will you go now**?" That wasn't Sesshomaru. The voice that came out of the western lord's mouth was huskier, deeper, darker and seductive. He was now standing less than a foot from me.

Looking up at the demon lord I had forgotten just how tall he was. I had never considered myself short, but standing in front of Sesshomaru, I only came up to his chest.

**It is his beast, and they want us. **My inner demon stated.

"Submit." His inner demon was speaking again and the word 'submit' sent my blood boiling.

"Never." I growled, and watched as his eyes narrowed in anger.

"You are my bitch and will do as your alpha says." He nearly barked.

"I'm no one's bitch and I have no alpha!" I growled back, my aura flaring.

'I don't want him!' I shouted at my inner demon.

**Why fight it? You know you secretly want this. Besides, he is powerful, who's going to stop him? Just simply mate him and then work to let him see you as equals.** Suddenly Kilala's earlier suggestion was sounding a whole lot better.

'I think I need to run.' I responded, and was shocked when my beast roared loudly in protest.

**No, if you run it will only excite the chase instinct in him.**

'Then what do I do, I don't what this! I don't want him, at least not like this!' I shouted. My demon seemed to get that I was being sincere and backed off.

**Are you sure?**

'Yes! A thousand times yes! If I take him now, I'll just be some second class citizen to him. He has to acknowledge me as an equal, first.' I retorted, making sure to put an emphasis on 'first'.

**Fine,****I would not force you into something you cannot accept with your heart and head. It would only drive us into madness. **I don't think I've ever been so grateful to my inner demon than I was at the moment.

'Ok so what do we do?' I asked, as Sesshomaru's head lowered so that he was sniffing the left side of my neck.

**We have to get out of here before he places the mating mark.** My demon said, and continued when the statement was answered with confused silence. **Don't let him bite you on the neck!**

'Oh!' I responded, still not fully getting it.

I could feel that the western lord's fangs had grown longer and sharper and were tracing over the area between my jawline and neck bone. When he passed over a certain spot I felt the heat of my body rising higher and I had to bite back a moan that was trying to escape.

'What do I do? There is no way I can overpower him!' I was beginning panic.

**Find a way to distract him, cover your scent and aura, run and, hope for the best.** That was so easier said than done.

'How the hell am I supposed to…' The thought was cut short as I felt Sesshomaru's fangs begin to test the skin on my neck.

**Forget the distraction. Hit him hard, the surprise should stun him long enough to get away. **My beast was roaring with the fury I was beginning to feel at the situation. After all, in the end my beast was just an extension of me, thus we shared similar emotions if they were strong enough.

'I'm glad you're on my side.' I thought as I balled my fist, and letting a charge begin to build.

**Despite the fact that I believe he would make a good mate, I understand that forcing you into something would result in an internal battle. Such a battle would drive one or both of us into madness. **My beast answered somberly.

'It's not that I think he's a bad mate choice. I just don't want to be rushed into this. These customs are too strange for me and I'm still trying to adjust. I don't think I could just sit back and submit, and that's what is expected of me right?' I asked as I began to raise my fist. The demon lord was so preoccupied with my neck that he didn't notice my movement.

**As expected, you have a strong will. I suspect that comes from being raised among humans in the other era.** My demon chuckled. **It seems the lord will have to learn how to court a lady of the modern era.**

'Damn straight!' I snorted. _'Ok, it's now or never.'_ I thought as I punched Sesshomaru in his jaw with as much strength as I could.

The stunned look on his face had to be a mirror of mine. I couldn't believe I had just punched him, and I'm sure he couldn't believe that he'd just been punched. A thin trail of blood dripped down the side of his mouth.

His eyes were full on blood red as he glared at me.

"You will pay for that bitch! I will teach you your place!" He growled low, his body quivering with rage.

**Run! **My beast roared and I quickly slid out of the opening and jumped from the balcony. As I jumped I transformed and took to the skies.

Less than a second after I jumped, a huge spike of demonic aura surged from the room. As I chanced a glance back, I saw a large white dog charging at me.

'Damn he's huge, where do I go?' I shouted inwardly. I didn't want to go west for obvious reasons. I couldn't go south and have the group confront Sesshomaru.

**That leaves north or east. **My inner demon stated on high alert. We could feel the large, and pissed, aura charging for us.

'He's gaining; I don't think I can out run him. He's like five times my size. One step for him is like ten for me!' I was truly beginning to panic. I knew if he caught me, it would not end well.

**I will release all of my power.** My beast said and I inwardly growled.

'You've been holding back?' If I hadn't been in a life or death situation I would have ripped my beast a new one.

**I saw no reason to release more than you needed to survive. At this point you need more to survive. You will have to let me take control for a moment.**

'Fine, but this better not be a trick to take over and go back to that ass!'

**It's not.** As my demon spoke I allowed my consciousness to be taken over by it. I could feel myself growing in size and a feeling of unbelievable power coursing. When the feeling leveled off I realized I was at least four times my original size, and standing well over forty feet tall. I was almost as big as Sesshomaru, he probably only had about two or three feet on me. I watched as my demon stopped us and turned around.

'What the hell are you doing?' I thought, thinking that this had been a set up after all.

**There is no way to out run him so we have to stall him. **My beast replied with an annoyed tone.

I watched as my inner demon opened my jaw and sent an icy blast in the direction of the western lord. The forest around the demon lord was instantly frozen as were the legs of Sesshomaru. I could see him beginning to fight the ice, but thankfully it held.

**Take your human form, suppress your aura, and run through the forest so he can't see you. The ice will only hold him for a few minutes at most.**

I felt relieved as I was returned power over my body and did as instructed. As I ran through the forest, the howls and snarls of rage from the demon lord rang scaring all life in the forest into fleeing.

I ran not paying attention in which direction I was going, unknowingly running east.

**~Kagome~**

"What was that?" Sango commented as we stopped in the middle of the village we had stopped in for supplies.

There was a wave of demonic power so powerful that even the village people, who had no experience in sensing demonic auras, stopped from feeling it.

The wave consisted of two different auras, one of which was made entirely of fury, and another that was a mix of fear and defiance.

"One of them was Sesshomaru." Inuyasha pointed out as we looked towards the direction that it had come from.

"Do you think the other was Kazuko? She might be in trouble or Shippo." I suggested, not sure if we should go aid or not.

"Wouldn't do any good, the auras are coming from within the western territory. Even if we could get there, Sesshomaru's in charge and we wouldn't be able to do anything." Inuyasha commented, though I could see that he was upset.

"I'm sure Kazuko can handle herself." Miroku said to help, but it was clear that the entire group was feeling uneasy.

**~Lord Toro~**

"Did you feel that?" One of my soldiers asked to another as we continued to progress towards the western lands.

"Yea, those are two of the most powerful auras I've ever felt." The other soldier responded. After a swift snort from me, the soldier quickly added. "Other than yours, Lord Toro."

I could feel the emotions radiating from each aura as I walked at the front of my army. One aura held a furious tinge to it, and the other had the slight texture of fear.

I could guess what was happening.

Unlike my father, who had wiped out the Ryu-Inu clan without a real plan; I had cunning and intelligence on my side. It was my father's lack of both that had led to his death, well that and my blade.

"General Tai!" I commanded. I stopped and watched as the shadow fox appeared before me in a flash of his shadow fox magic.

"Yes milord." He said, bowing slightly.

"Take the army and go back to the castle. I have a plan to get the Shogakko that will not require force." I said, a devious smile playing on my lips.

"As you wish." The general said and began to lead the army away.

'_It would appear, Lord Sesshomaru, that you attempted to claim her and it didn't go well. That just makes my job so much easier now that she sees you as the bad guy. I shall appear to her as a savior who rescues her from the demented dog lord.'_ I thought as I headed towards the spot that the aura had disappeared. I could still feel a faint hint of the demoness' aura that she was trying to suppress.

Lucky for me, she was heading directly into my territory. Taking off to intercept her path, I began to form a plan.

**~Kazuko~**

I had to have run for about an hour going straight ahead, afraid to stop or even look back. At one point I did notice a change in scent that told me I had left the western lands. I wasn't sure where I was now, but I knew as long as it was away from Sesshomaru it would be ok.

It wasn't until night had fallen, that I finally slowed to a walk. I was lost for sure, in an unknown land; I was tired, and beginning to get hungry.

'_Maybe I should have gone south after all.' _I thought. _'And I left Shippo behind!'_ Tears began to form as I started to curse Sesshomaru for all the trouble he was causing.

"Why would a beautiful demoness such as yourself me crying out in the forest all alone?" I looked up to see a demon standing a few feet from me. I hadn't even realized that I'd fallen to my knees while crying.

The demon standing before was tall, maybe a bit taller than Sesshomaru. He had jet black hair that was cut short and stopped just above his neck. Two noticeable horns protruded from the top of his head. He had a red stripe going from the bottom of each horn, which went over his eyes, curved and stopped at the sides of his nose.

He wore black pants like the kind Sesshomaru and Inuyasha had. There was nothing covering his upper body except for two chains that made an 'X' over his chest. The chains were holding up the black cloak he was wearing. He also had a set of bracers on each wrist. I could just make out the hilt of two weapons strapped to his back in an 'V'.

He seemed nice enough. The only slightly unnerving thing was his black eyes that held no pupils.

I wasn't sure if it was my heat talking or not, but he was definitely one of the more attractive males I had even seen.

**Not more attractive than Sesshomaru.** My demon reminded sourly. I felt my lips twitch and my fangs show slightly at the mention of the name.

'He's definitely nicer.' I countered sharply.

"An arrogant demon lord has tried to lay a claim on me, as if I were nothing more than just some toy that he could do with as he pleased." I growled, looking back down at the ground angrily.

"Surely all demon lords cannot be that bad?" The demon asked, as he kneeled beside me. His scent was a mixture of grass and the night air, all around pleasing.

"The ones I've met and heard of are." I said crossly.

"I am the demon lord of the east, and I do not think of myself in such a way." He said, and my eyes widened as I quickly jumped back from him and put my staff in a defensive position.

"You ordered the execution of my clan!" I spat angrily. The demon moved slowly as he looked at me with a confused expression.

"I know not of what you speak." He stated. "I can assure you I would never do something so cruel."

"The eastern lord killed my entire clan, the Ryu-Inu clan." I watched as his eyes widened slightly as I spoke.

"You are a survivor of the Ryu-Inu clan? There were thought to be none." He stated and I was left speechless as he gave a low bow and closed his eyes. "You have my sincerest regrets."

"What are you talking about?" I refused to lower my staff as I watched the demon.

"I have only become the lord of the east in the past decade. It was not I that ordered your clan to be wiped out. It was my foolish father. He was too power hungry and it led to his demise. I am very sorry for what happened to your clan." He said still in his bow.

"You can stand up you know." I said, lowering my staff slightly. "So you weren't the one that ordered my clan dead?" He straightened up and stepped closer.

"No, I tried to convince my father to reconsider. But he was the lord at the time and I couldn't do anything once he sent out the army. I had hoped to make up for the wrongs of my father, but I had heard that the entire clan had been wiped out. Please allow me to make up for the wrongs done by my father." He sounded sincere in his words, and I really couldn't think of a reason not to trust what he said.

"How would you do that?" I asked, putting my staff away.

"I can tell you are on your heat." I was immediately on guard again as he said that. "Do not worry. Unlike some other demons, I can control my baser instincts. I can tell that this demon lord you are running from cannot, correct?"

"That's for sure, I had thought he was better, but it appears he's just another dog!" I spat.

"Then please allow me to provide you with shelter and protection until your heat has passed. I know it cannot replace your clan, but it is a start I believe." The demon said offering his hand to me.

"What kind of demon are you and what is your name?" I asked, as I hesitantly took his hand.

"How rude of me not to fully introduce myself; my name is Lord Toro, king of the bull demons, and lord of the eastern lands." He said, giving a grand gesture as he spoke. I gave a light giggle at his comical reaction. "You have a lovely laugh." His words had a blush spreading across my face and I was happy that the dim light made it hard to see.

"I'm Kazuko, last of the Ryu-Inu Clan." I responded.

"It is very nice to meet you Lady Kazuko." Lord Toro said, leading me back towards his castle.

"It is an honor to meet you Lord Toro." I returned.

"Please, you can just call me Toro." He replied and I nodded lightly.

"I shall if you will only call me Kazuko." I responded with a laugh.

"It is a deal, Kazuko." He responded with a snort of his own that reminded me of a bull.

'_He is quite charming.'_ I thought, realizing that I was still holding his hand as we walked, and found that I didn't mind. As we walked my exhaustion began to wear on me and my steps became clumsy.

"You seem quite tired. If you do not mind, I could carry you." The bull demon offered, and I was too tired to protest. He lifted me so that I was on his back, like Inuyasha often did Kagome.

In a matter of minutes, I rested my head on his shoulder and fell asleep.

**~Toro~**

This was working just too perfectly.

She was so upset with Sesshomaru that gaining her trust was child's play. As I lifted her onto my back, I smiled at how well my plan was working.

There was no doubting that she was a beautiful demoness, especially as her violet tinted hair glowed silver in the rising moonlight. To take her from Sesshomaru would be one of my best accomplishments, perhaps even my greatest.

If I could pull this plan off, I would be able to have her as mine without even having to fight Sesshomaru or her.

The dog had already planted the seeds of mistrust in her mind. Now all I had to do was help the blooms of hatred grow.

I could keep up the nice guy act long enough to claim her, willingly, as mine, and then I wouldn't haven't to worry. Once mated, she would be completely at my command as I would force her to submit and no other demon could have her.

'_After all demon matings are for life and cannot be broken except in death.' _I thought sinisterly.


	15. Relearning to Court Plus Two

**Howdy everyone and here is the next chapter. **

**I had to cut off the end of this chapter, because I realized I had gotten to 25 pages! So here is 15 and I'm using the other 10 for the next chapter.**

**Now I have a few questions for my readers that will help determine the exact route for the story. I already know where I'm going, I just want y'alls opinion on how to get there. **

**I've had some questions about Naraku. I can add him in which would add a few more chapters, or I could just skip over him. I'm fine with either way, but I would like to know your opinion. I know some people just want to stick to the immediate story line, and others are fine with little detours. So let me know how y'all feel about that. **

**Other than that, I would just like to sincerely thank everyone who is reviewing. It means a lot to me that you guys care enough to now only read, but to review as well. **

**Without further adieu here is the next chapter of Where I Belong.**

**Enjoy! ^^  
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><p><strong>~Relearning to Court Plus Two~<strong>

**~Sesshomaru~**

She'd hit me.

She'd frozen me.

She'd escaped me.

Yet not an ounce of real fury coursed through my veins. I tried to conjure artificial anger to replace my lack of genuine feelings, but it wouldn't last.

In my chambers I sat thinking over what had happened. My personal chamber was on the second floor of the castle.

The third floor was for when I had mated. It would be the floor that held our mated room and the room for pups to come until they reached maturity, as it had been for my father.

Until I was mated, it was pack rule that I remain in the same room that I had moved into when I'd reached maturity.

It was here she continued to run through my mind.

I was impressed by her self-control. She hadn't given into her mating instincts which I knew were heightened by her heat.

I was impressed by her strength. In the moment she had frozen me I had felt her power, all of it that had been hidden away. She rivaled me.

I had feelings for the demoness.

At some point during the past few months my grudging respect for her had grown into something I was unfamiliar with.

Now I was stuck in a state of confusion. Never before had I been conflicted about anything in my life, now I couldn't make a straight decision without her coming to mind.

I knew I should have chased her as soon as I had freed myself from the ice, which hadn't been until the sun come up. But I knew she was afraid of me, and it bothered me.

Her scent went east, and I could only hope that she hadn't crossed into Toro's land. The bull king may not have known there were any survivors but it wouldn't take him long to figure out her linage.

The last we'd seen of Inuyasha's group was in an eastward direction. I could only assume that she'd gone back to them.

My inner demon was sulking, having had an almost complete turnaround after having lost her.

'You brought this on us.' I reminded sharply to its' incessant whining in my head.

**I know.**

'Then why do you sulk?'

**She is gone.**

This was the same dialogue that I got when delving into the situation. I knew the truth. My beast was an extension of me, a part of me that could show the emotions that I refused to acknowledge.

Every demoness that I had met or even been taught off always responded to a commanding alpha male, yet it had run Kazuko off.

**She is not of here. She comes from the land Inuyasha's priestess comes from.**

It was true. From what little I had observed from my brother's group, the human priestess acted differently from any female, human or demon, I had met. She was loud, outspoken and, at times, commanding.

Kazuko wasn't as loud, but she had the same commanding feel about her. She seemed to relish the quiet as I do, but she was just as fine talking when it was called for.

Where ever it is that she came from, I got the feeling that the roles of males and females were not the same as here.

**Seek out the priestess, she will know.**

As unappealing as seeking my brother out was, I knew it was the only option I had. Until I could understand Kazuko, I would continue to unconsciously push her away.

I stood and went to the balcony that was attached to my room. Gathering my aura around me I took to the skies in my orb of light. Jaken had been ordered to watch the children when I had returned earlier.

It didn't take long to trace Inuyasha's scent; it appeared they were headed back to the same village they were usually in.

I was greeted by my brother baring our father's fang in my direction as I took form before the old priestess' hut.

"What do you want Sesshomaru?" He paused and seemed to look past me as if expecting something. "Where's Kazuko?"

She wasn't here, and something about that had my nerves on end.

Where else could she have gone?

"Where is your priestess?" I asked, knowing her scent was near yet it ended without a trace of her being in the area.

"Why do you care?" His voice turned so defensive that I knew there was something unusual going on.

Instead of staying to question the half-breed I began to follow the scent.

"Hey, Sesshomaru, get back here! I asked you a question!" Inuyasha's voice was troubled, as if I were walking in on some secret he wished not to share.

The girl's scent ended at an old well that should have already fallen down from the looks of it. Her scent went to the edge and disappeared. As I took a brief look down into the well, all I could see were bones.

"Finally see the uselessness of humans?" I questioned, turning back to face my half-brother.

"For the last time Sesshomaru, what do you want?" The half-demon was holding Tessiaga straight at me.

"As I have said, I seek your priestess." I repeated.

Inuyasha looked as if he was to say something, but a large spark of energy stopped him. It was unlike any energy that I had ever felt. It was neither demonic nor spiritual.

"Sesshomaru?" The voice of the priestess reached my ears at the same time her scent hit my nose. Turning I saw her emerging from the well. My eyes narrowed and I began to see why Inuyasha looked as panicked as he did.

"Where have you come from girl?" I asked making it clear in my tone that lying was not an option.

**~Kagome~**

"Where have you come from girl?" His voice was dripping with venom, and I knew that anything but the truth would result in death.

"Can we talk about this back at the hut?" I asked, pulling myself fully out of the well.

"Hn." I figured that was a yes.

"Kagome, we don't have to tell him anything." Inuyasha butted in getting between me and the demon lord.

"He's with Kazuko; he deserves to know the truth." I mentioned, having just realized that the Ryu-Inu was not with him. "Where is Kazuko?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out." Inuyasha grumbled as we headed back towards the village, Sesshomaru staying directly behind us the whole way.

"Inuyasha I think it's better if I explain this to Sesshomaru alone." I said as we walked into the hut, getting the feeling that the demon lord did not want his brother around. I got this mostly from the daggers he was glaring at the half-demon.

"What Kagome, have you lost your mind?" Inuyasha scoffed.

"Don't make me say it." I threated and his ears flicked back.

"Fine, but I'll be right outside." Inuyasha added as he stepped out of the hut.

"Explain priestess." Wow, he really did get straight to the point.

"Ok, I know you may not believe me, but I swear to you that everything I'm about to say is the truth." I said taking a deep breath both physically and mentally. "Kazuko and I are from the future, about five hundred years from now." Instead of mistrust which I had expected, I could see a deep thought in his eyes as if he believed me.

"The well." He said simply.

"It's the portal that leads between your era and our era. Only Kazuko, Inuyasha and I can go through." I answered. "Well I mean Kazuko is originally from here. But when her clan went to hide her she ended up in the well and it transported her to my time."

The demon lord seemed satisfied with my answer and looked to leave. Just as he turned I saw something flash across his face, almost like indecision before he turned back towards me with his usual emotionless expression.

"The females of your time are…different."

"Yes things are not like they are here." I could see in his eyes that he wished me to continue in my explanation. "Where we come from, women aren't looked down as inferior as they are here. Actually some women in my time hold more power than the men."

I wasn't sure if Sesshomaru was taking me seriously since he held the same indifferent demeanor he always had. After a few moments of silence I finally summoned the courage to ask what had been bothering me since he had arrived. "Lord Sesshomaru may I ask you something?" I asked as respectably as possible.

"You may priestess." He said, though I got the feeling he already knew the question.

"Where is Kazuko? Is she ok? We all felt the huge spikes in your auras yesterday evening." I said, not meeting his eyes but staring out of the entrance way.

"She is alive." He said simply and it was clear that it was the most direct answer I was going to get.

"Thank you." I answered with a dip of my head. I expected that he would leave now but he stayed standing in the same spot. When a few minutes passed by; I was ready to question the western lord's reason for staying.

"What of courting?" He had spoken just as I had opened my mouth.

It took a minute for me to understand what he meant, and when I did I could feel a grin pulling at the corner of my lips. I knew the western lord was being as discrete as possible.

I was able to swallow down the grin for later. Finally I knew the real reason that he had come, the great non-caring Sesshomaru had feelings towards Kazuko. I wasn't sure if it was love, but he definitely liked her.

"Our courting is different as well." I started, chancing a glance towards the dog demon. He was looking out of the small window. "Where we come from it's not always the men who court the female, sometimes women court males. The most important part is that both people are willing to engage in the courting it can't be forced." I thought he gave a slight flinch at the word 'forced'. "A lot of women like to have small gestures of affection, but exactly what kind depends on the person. Kazuko, from what I've seen, likes things that make her laugh. She was always pranking Inuyasha."

"You words will be considered, priestess." It was his way of saying 'thank you' I'm sure.

"You're welcome." I said with a light giggle and watched as the demon lord leave. I could tell when he passed Inuyasha, due to a low growling sound reaching my ears.

"He didn't hurt you did he?" Inuyasha asked as he entered the room and wasted no time in checking me over.

"No he just came to ask a few questions." I responded with the wide grin I'd been holding in.

"What about?" I could still see the unease in Inuyasha's eyes.

"Oh nothing." I responded exiting the hut. I was definitely going to want to see Kazuko soon.

**~Sesshomaru~**

The priestess words were confusing and seemed impossible. Yet her words were the only explanation that made sense concerning the Ryu-Inu female. Being able to hide in a completely different era would explain why it had appeared that she'd disappeared into nothing.

If Kazuko truly was raised this other era, it explained her differences I had noticed between her and an average demoness. Here females were taught since birth to be second to the male counterparts, but that appeared not to be the case where she came from.

'_If she finds my courting unacceptable she could return down the well to where she came from.'_ I hadn't thought much about her running away until now.

Before I had figured wherever she went I could find and retrieve her; yet should she go back to her time she would be out of my reach. The though disturbed me in a way that I had never experienced before and didn't want to.

**First you have to find her.** My beast reminded me.

I had been so sure to that Kazuko would have come back to Inuyasha's group that I hadn't noticed, until now, that her scent hadn't led to the village. I gathered my aura around me and took off in my orb of light towards the place she had frozen me.

It took a while to get her suppressed scent. A quiet growl built in my chest as I realized her scent was heading straight towards the eastern lands.

Following the scent didn't do anything to help my annoyance, instead it turned into anger.

As I reached the border I could smell that she'd crossed it. Suppressing my scent and aura I left my lands, crossed the neutral lands and entered the eastern lands.

As much as I hated hiding and thought it cowardly, if someone were to see me, it could be taken as an invasion and an act of war.

Her scent led just within the lands and was covered by a scent I knew too well.

'_Toro.'_ I thought sourly. His scent was heavy, and overpowered Kazuko's. It wasn't surprising as she had been trying her best to suppress her scent to keep me from finding her.

I didn't want to turn back, my beast was calling for me to go the eastern castle and take her back. But I knew that it was near impossible to storm an entire castle by myself. I didn't like to admit it but Toro was close, if not at the same level of power as me.

After a long pause, I turned back and headed for my own castle. If I were to get Kazuko, I would need a plan.

**~Kazuko~**

I had awoken in a room I didn't remember entering.

It was done completely in black and dark red. The sun was shining in from the balcony, which had rose-colored curtains.

Instead of a bed or cot, it appeared I was sleeping on a large pile of furs that was more comfortable than I would have thought.

I stood and stretched, noticing that my staff was gone and I was wearing a sleeping kimono and couldn't spot my clothing anywhere.

I took in the scents around me and the previous day returned to the front of my memory.

'_Sesshomaru that arrogant dog!'_ I thought as my anger returned in full force. _'I can't believe he tried that._'

**It's possible that his beast took over and he had no choice in his actions.**

'Are you really still siding with him?'

**No I am simply stating an alternative possibility.**

'Whatever, I'm too upset at him to care.'

"Wow, Lord Toro's mood is much better than it's been in years." I heard someone say from outside the room I was in.

"Yea, well enjoy it now it won't last long." Another voice responded sounding a bit cross.

"I know, but it's nice for now. Too bad it's only until he gets the Shogakko to mate him. It sucks having a female in heat here and we can't even have some fun." The first voice responded.

My eyes widened as I heard them. He was using my vulnerability to get me to mate him.

'_He's as bad as Sesshomaru.'_ I thought flexing my claws in anger. _'I have to find my things and get out of here.'_

"Shouldn't the two of you be attending to your duties?" A third voice said and I heard mumbled apologies as two sets of feet walked off.

I tensed slightly as I saw the door slide open. The demon that entered was clearly a fox demon from his scent, thought his base scent was different than Shippo's. I suppose if there were different types of dog demons, it would only make sense that there were different types of foxes.

This fox had black eyes with red slits for pupils. His tail was like a regular fox's in shape, its color being black with a red tip.

"Lady Kazuko, I have been sent by Lord Toro to check on you. I am the leader of his army, General Tai." He said giving a slight bow.

"Thank you, though may I ask where are my belongings?" I asked, giving a slight bow of my own.

"You clothing has been sent to the tailor to be repaired and your staff has been moved to the training area with the rest of the weapons." He responded.

I was tempted to ask where those places were, but I knew he wouldn't tell me even if I did ask. Instead an alternate idea came to mind.

"When will I be able to see Lord Toro? I would like to personally thank him for helping me last night." If I could get out of this room I might be able to find my things. I didn't really need my clothing, just my staff.

"He has requested that you dine with him shortly. A maid will bring up something to wear until your clothing is repaired." He seemed almost uncomfortable as he spoke, and I knew it was because of my heat. I didn't know why but for some reason I knew this was going to get a lot worse in the next forty-eight hours so I had to get out of here quickly.

"Thank you, I would enjoy a meal." I said, and watched as he bowed again and left.

I moved to the balcony to see if I could tell where exactly I was. The land around the castle was foreign but I could tell I was about five stories up. I could also see that the army training grounds were exactly below me. I could see my staff on one of the weapon racks.

'_Strategic placing.'_ I thought with a dry laugh.

I spent the next hour or so trying to come up with a plan of escape, each of which came up short due to my lack of knowledge of the surroundings.

"Excuse me, Lady Kazuko?" I turned from where I had been sitting on the pile of furs facing the window. The girl who had spoken was human, and it was obvious she'd been abused.

"Um yes?" I asked hesitantly noticing the fear that was radiating off of the girl. I could only imagine her fear of demons if she worked in a place where they abused her.

"We were told to bring this kimono for you and to take you to the dining hall once you were dressed." She said, keeping her eyes on the ground in front of her. I noticed a human male standing just outside of the sliding doors. He didn't look any better from the bruises I could see.

"Tell me, how many humans inhabit this castle." I asked, taking the kimono. I didn't miss the slight flinch that came from her as I took the clothing.

"Only myself and Ryo, my lady." She answered. The male nodded silently.

"The ones here, they abuse you, do they not?" I asked, as I changed.

"It is my privilege to serve my demon masters." She responded, a line that had clearly been taught to her.

"I did not ask that. I asked if they abuse you." I restated adding a little force in my voice. As much as I didn't want to be mean to her, I needed to know the truth.

"They are not so bad when we do as they as they say." She responded with a heavy sigh. The male stayed silent though I could see the slight tension in his shoulders.

'_I've got to get her out of here. She can't be much older than Rin. And he looks no more than my own age.'_ I thought suppressing the anger I felt.

"There I am dressed." I said, looking over the kimono that I was wearing.

It was more revealing than I liked, but it was either this or the practically see through sleeping kimono. It was black with red horns on the shoulders.

The girl nodded and led me out of the room and down the stairs to the first floor. Ryo took up behind me as we walked.

The dining room we arrived in was nice, but the dark décor gave it a more sinister than impressive look. Like the room I had been in, everything was done in black and red.

"Ah Kazuko you look very nice I the eastern colors." Toro said standing to greet me. "Katina, Ryo, you are to stand outside the doors and make sure that no one interrupts us." He said to the two who bowed and left.

"Toro you look nice as well." I said. He had the same hakama pants and cape as before, only he had put on a top that was black and sleeveless.

I noticed he took a deeper breath than necessary as he kissed my hand.

"I am glad you were feeling well enough to join me for lunch." He said, pulling a chair out for me and sitting in his own as I sat down.

"It is the least I could do after having been saved by you." I said, watching servants bring out food that smelled good.

"It was no trouble at all, and you are free to stay as long as you please." He began eating as soon as the food was placed down, and I settled for pushing some things around on my plate.

"Thank you, I may just take you up on that." I said as an idea came to mind. "Where is your bathing hut?" I asked figuring he wouldn't question a female's want to bathe.

"Ah that is outside on the other side of the garden; once we finish eating I can have Katina and Ryo show you to it." He seemed clueless enough; I'm guessing that he is feared because of his strength more than anything else.

The rest of the lunch passed by with minimum talking as Lord Toro seemed to concentrate on his food than anything else. I thanked him for the meal and was relieved when I could finally leave with Katina leading the way to the bathing hut, Ryo once again took up behind me.

"Everyone else is eating, now that Lord Toro is finished." Katina said, probably picking up on my wonder at why the castle and training ground were so empty.

"Where are you from and how long have you been here?" I asked, as we crossed the garden.

"I'm not sure; we were taken when the east had attempted to go to war with the west. No one will tell us exactly where we came from. I've only picked up on that much from the whispers I hear." She said with a heavy voice.

"How old are you?" I questioned, she looked Rin's age.

"We share the same day of birth, I am to be twenty-one this full moon and Ryo is to be twenty-five." She answered shyly. "I know I've been told that I look much younger than I am." She quickly added.

'_I'll say. It appears the three of us share the same birthday, what are the chances of that? Only difference is that I am to turn twenty.' _I thought, pausing as we reached the training area.

My eyes narrowed and a low growl rose as I spotted my staff laying on the ground with marks on it.

"Is it something I said? I did not mean to offend you." Katina was trembling as she turned and realized I had stopped and heard my growl.

"I'm going to leave here; I know what Lord Toro is up to." I said bringing myself back to a calm state. "And I'm taking you two with me." Something about the two of them called to me, probably because of their living situation.

"What do you mean? I would rather not anger them." She said her fear scent increasing to an almost suffocating amount.

"I can't do that. I do not wish to stay here any longer; it is not where I belong. Besides when they have noticed me gone, they will surely kill the two of you for letting me go. I have friends that live in a village that is well protected and just between the southern and western lands. They will take very good care of you, I'm sure." I murmured going over to pick up my staff.

"We'll come." I looked in surprise when Ryo finally spoke. His eyes were narrowed as he looked at me. "I don't know why, but I trust you. Something about you calls to me and I'm willing to follow it if it gets us out of here." He said looked over at Katina and I noticed his expression softened slightly.

'_He's got feelings for her.'_ I thought with a small smile.

"But what if they catch us?" She whispered.

"I'll make sure they don't, trust me." I said.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" I heard one of the soldiers yell as he came running our way.

"We're leaving." I said calmly.

"Like hell you are!" Another soldier shouted as at least ten more came running.

"Stay behind me." I said, glancing over my shoulder at Katina and Ryo. They both nodded and I noticed Ryo put himself in front of Katina.

"Don't play with us bitch, you'll find yourself in a very bad position." The first soldier said with a disgusting smirk.

"Try me." I replied gripping my staff in front of me.

They soldiers charged me without much thought, in a way that almost reminded me of Inuyasha.

I gripped my staff in both hands and brought it down on the ground so that my fingertips were planted firmly in the ground beneath us.

"Crater Claw." I whispered as the earth before me rose up in the shape of dragon claws and swiped and buried the foolish shoulders. I watched as a brown dragon appeared around my right ankle and disappeared when the attack was over.

I remembered my spirit trainers say that as I mastered an element its dragon tattoo would become permanent, like the yellow one around my waist signaling I had mastered my lightning element. Until the element was mastered the tattoo would only appear when I used an attack of the element.

"What was that?" I heard someone else say, and I turned to face the two humans.

"Get on, we're leaving. Just try not to mess with my wings. One of you can sit in front of them and the other can sit behind them, just stay clear of them so I can fly. Make sure you hold on tight." I said, standing.

I could see their confused looks but I didn't have time to explain and transformed to my smaller size instead. Katina fainted and Ryo had to catch her and help her onto my back. Once he had her situated in front of my wings he got on behind my wings.

'_Time to get out of here, I'll take them to Kaede's village.'_ I thought as I took to the skies.

"Stop her!" I heard and saw Lord Toro fuming as he came rushing out of the castle.

The soldiers were taking so long to get organized that the bull demon took it upon himself to come after me. I felt his aura spike and turned to see a huge bull standing behind me.

Lord Toro's true form was the size of Sesshomaru's. He was brown all over except for a few black markings over his back and the gleaming black horns that protruded at least ten feet from his skull.

"You think you can escape me?" He laughed running at me, jumping occasionally.

'_He can't fly!'_ I thought with relief. _'That means I just have to slow him down enough to get away.'_ I dodged his horns, which he was tossing my way as I tried to come up with an idea. _'I'll do the same thing to him that worked on Sesshomaru!' _I thought, until I realized I had no idea how I did that to Sesshomaru.

'Hey! I need to freeze him!' I shouted to my inner demon.

**Oh finally realized prince charming is really a frog?** My inner demon remarked and I could almost have sworn it yawned.

'Have you not been paying attention?'

**I fell asleep.**

'…'

**What?**

'Just help me freeze the bull so I can get away.'

**Oh got it.**

I made a sharp turn so that I was facing Toro. He stopped and gave me a suspicious look.

'Finally decide to give up?' He snorted at me.

'No.' I barked. I opened my jaw and gathered as much ice as I could and let it flow. Unlike with Sesshomaru, it didn't just cover his legs but also his entire body. As soon as my attack was finished I turned again and shot off towards Kaede's village.

"Wow." I heard Ryo whisper.

**~Inuyasha~**

"What the hell?" I growled feeling another spike of auras, this time from the east. One was definitely Kazuko's, but the other was unfamiliar.

"You felt it too Inuyasha?" Miroku asked from where we'd been gathering firewood for the village.

"Yea, seems Kazuko's gotten away from Sesshomaru, but what's she doing in the east?" I mumbled heading back to the village. Unlike last time, the aura didn't die away after the spark. Instead her aura remained high and it seemed to be heading this way.

It wasn't until about an hour later that the aura began drawing close. "I think she's coming here." I mentioned as we broke the tree line.

"Perhaps this has something to do with why Sesshomaru was here earlier." Miroku suggested.

"Yea, maybe." I responded.

"Hey did you guys feel those auras?" Kagome asked and we nodded. She still had that same silly grin she'd had since Sesshomaru left.

"Look." Sango said pointing eastward.

Squinting I could just make out a light colored blur heading our way.

A long howl sounded and my eyes widened.

"Don't you dare!" I shouted but it was too late as a huge weight slammed into me.

**~Kazuko~**

'Crash landing!' I howled as I aimed straight for the half demon on my landing. I slammed into Inuyasha sending him skidding back a few feet with me sitting on top of him.

"Get off you mutt!" Inuyasha growled trying to push me off but with no success.

I pretended not to notice and crouched down so that Katina and Ryo could get off. Thankfully Katina had woken up on the way here. When they were both on the ground I transformed back.

"Oh Inuyasha, I didn't see you there." I said with a smirk and offered a hand to help him up.

"Sure you didn't." He growled softly as he took the hand and stood. "Where have you been? Sesshomaru turned up earlier, and I think he was looking for you."

My eyes narrowed slightly but I didn't let anything else show in my emotions. "It's a long story."

"Um Kazuko, who are they?" Kagome said stepping forward and pointing to the two former eastern servants.

"Oh they were being kept and abused by the eastern lord and I saved them. She's Katina and he's Ryo." I said motioning to each as I introduced them and then turned to the two. "These are my friends, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha and Kilala." I said pointed to each on in turn.

"It is nice to meet you." Katina said with a bow though it was clear she was weary of Inuyasha and Kilala. Ryu bowed as well.

"Kazuko can I talk to you in private?" Kagome asked motioning to the hut. I gave her a nod and followed her into the hut.

**~Kagome~**

"I don't think they're human." I said as soon as I knew we were out of Inuyasha's hearing range.

"What do you mean?" Kazuko asked, leaning back beside the doorframe.

"Remember when you first came to my shrine and I told you I felt a suppressing spell on you?" When Kazuko nodded I continued. "I'm feeling the suppressing spell coming from them too, and I'm almost certain that it's the same kind of spell."

"So you're saying you think they're demons?" Kazuko asked glancing just out of the door with an unreadable face. I almost said something with how long the silence lasted, until the Ryu-Inu spoke again. "Do you think you can undo their spells too?"

"I can try. It may take a bit longer because I don't sense a jewel shard within either of them. When I did your spell I was simply calling the fake jewel shard to me, I'm not completely sure how to break their spells." I responded wishing I could know what was going through Kazuko's mind.

"Ok, then we'll try. I have a meeting with Sesshomaru and some sort of demon council in just under two weeks. So if they are demons we may need to find them a new home. As accepting as the villagers have been with Inuyasha, I don't think they'd like two new demons they don't know." Kazuko said, heading back outside.

"I'll go get Kaede and Miroku to see if they know anything." I responded following her out of the hut.

**~Kazuko~**

"Hey, Katina and Ryo can you come over here?" I asked stepping just out of the hut and motioning to the two.

They came over and I saw Kagome leave to find Kaede and Miroku. If she was right about their spells maybe one of them would know how to break it.

"I know this is going to be hard to grasp but I'm going to need you to trust me." I said, and waited until they both nodded. "Kagome, the priestess, believes that you aren't human, but in fact demons." I said and paused as Katina gasped and nearly fainted again. "We think that you have a suppression spell on you to keep your demon blood locked away. We think this because I had one on me and it feels like the same one you two have."

"If we are demons, how do we get rid of this spell?" Ryo asked, I could tell that he sincerely hoped I was right from the loo in his eyes.

"Hopefully the same way Kagome broke mine. She's going to get help from another priestess named Kaede and the monk you met, Miroku." I replied, trying to judge their reactions to this new information.

"What if this doesn't work? Will it hurt?" Katina questioned quietly looking back at the ground.

I couldn't blame her for not being thrilled. I could image it hard to know that you could possibly be one of the 'monsters' that has been abusing you.

"I won't lie to you, it felt like my body was being electrocuted, burned, torn apart, drowned and crushed all at once." I said, narrowing my eyes. No reason to give them a false sense of security just to have it broken as they felt the pain.

Katina began to tremble slightly, but Ryo put his hand on her shoulder and nodded in my direction. "I'll do it." He said firmly. "I feel as if my entire existence has been an illusion, if this is why I'm willing to try."

"Ah children of the dragon dogs, I did not think I would so many again." Kaede said as she entered the hut and we turned in her direction. Miroku and Kagome followed closely behind.

"Hello Kaede, did you really think I'd die that easily." I joked with a smirk. It wasn't until Kaede started speaking again that I realized she'd meant it in plural.

"Not ye, Kazuko." Kaede said shaking her head. "I was talking to the others." She said pointing a wrinkled finger in Katina and Ryo's direction.


	16. Ryo's Awakening

**Howdy all and welcome back.**

**I only have one thing to say for this chapter, and it's the same thing I'm going to say for the next chapter. **

**It is important that you remember that this chapter and the next chapter are happening at the EXACT SAME TIME. Each chapter is just from a different point of view.**

**Other than that I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

**Enjoy ^^  
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><p><strong>~Ryo's Awakening~<strong>

"What are you talking about Kaede?" I asked, watching the old priestess point at Katina and Ryo.

"I mean as I say child. The two standing here are of the dragon dogs." She said. "Surely you can sense a kindred spirit in them." She added looking my way.

"I sensed a need to help them. I had assumed that it was due to it being the right thing to do." I answered, feeling my eyes widen. "How do you know they are of the Ryu-Inu clan?"

"It was I that charmed the pendants that hold the key to their suppression spells," She stated then gave a small smile. "And yours as well."

"What?" Kagome gasped out, voicing my own thoughts.

I looked down at the silver pendant that was wrapped around my neck. I had found my human mother's old locket and put the pendant on the same chain, so I could have something from each of my parents, human and demon.

"It was back when I was a young girl, when Kikyo was alive. A few from the Ryu-Inu clan came by to have three pendants charmed. They never said why. They ask that it be done in secret and paid very well for them. We'd never heard of any wrong doings by the dragon dogs and felt it safe to do as they asked." Kaede said looking about the room at each of us as she spoke. "The charms on any given pendant will not last longer than two decades, and the dragon dogs would return every decade to have the spells renewed." Kaede said going to a wall and removing a board and pulling out three scrolls. "I can sense the spells on you two now."

"So that means you know how to break the spells?" Ryo asked.

"Aye, these three scrolls contain each pendants renewing and breaking spell. Since Kagome broke Kazuko's, we will only need two scrolls." Kaede said throwing one of the scrolls into the fire. "This spell is one that has been passed down through my family and is not to be shared for fear of it falling into the wrong hands, thus they must be destroyed after having served their purpose." She explained, most likely in response to our confused expressions. "As the reincarnation of my sister, Kagome, one day I shall teach you the secrets to it."

"Ok so what needs to be done?" I asked, looking at the two scrolls she held.

"Unlike most other spells, this one only requires the scroll and enough spiritual energy to release the spell. Thankfully Kagome and Miroku are here. In my old age I no longer have the spiritual energy to break both spells." Kaede said unrolling the scrolls.

She pulled out two cots and placed them on opposite sides of the hut, and then placed a scroll by each cot.

"Tell us what to do Lady Kaede." Katina said, finally getting her voice back. It was clear that she was a bit tense about this, but at least she was willing to try.

"Each of you is to lie on the cots." She said pointing to Ryo and Katina. "Kagome you will break her spell and Miroku will break his." Kaede said and watched as the two newcomers took their spots on the cots. "Now I will warn you that this spell requires a vast amount of spiritual energy, and like with Kazuko's it will take quite some time to break."

"How long are we talking?" I asked, still standing by the door.

As much as I disliked the thought, I needed to get back to the western castle. At the very least, I had to get Shippo. I knew Sesshomaru wouldn't stoop so low as to harm an innocent child, but who knew what could happen if his inner demon was in control.

"At least half a day." Kaede said and I sighed.

'_So should everything go fine they won't be done until nightfall." _ I thought.

"Now Miroku and Kagome you are to place one hand in the middle of the circle on the scroll and the other over them." Kaede instructed and waited for them to do so. "Now imagine your body as a channel and channel the spell from the scrolls to the pendants that are within their bodies. You will be able to sense the pendants."

"I can sense it." Kagome said with a light smile.

It was a few minutes before Miroku answered.

"I feel it as well." He said with a bit of a strain.

"Good now focus on pulling the pendants out, but you must not remove your hand from the scroll. Should you remove your hand from the scroll; the entire spell could backfire and leave the two as humans for life or even kill them depending on how far into the spell you are." She said and I felt myself tense.

Both Miroku and Kagome nodded.

"We'll make sure they make it through fine." Kagome assured looking at me.

"There is one last thing. Half way through the spell their demon blood will begin to leak out of the pendant and the spiritual energy will react with it. I will not lie, it will be painful, but you must not stop, no matter what amount of pain you feel coming from them. We'll do our best to keep the dragon dogs restrained." Kaede added. "Now begin."

"Are you guys ready?" Kagome asked a little concerned after hearing the last part of Kaede's instructions.

"Yes." Ryo said confidently.

I could see in his eyes that he truly wanted this.

"Yes." Katina said quietly.

I could see Miroku and Kagome close their eyes in concentration and felt the hut begin to fill with spiritual energy.

The high intensity of the spiritual energy began to burn as it brushed against my demonic aura and I had to leave the hut.

It wasn't until I was almost a mile away from the hut that the burning subsided.

Inuyasha was perched in his tree and looked down at me as I sat at its base.

"What the hell was that about? Are they trying to purify everyone?" He growled. Before I could answer I saw Kilala descend with Sango on her back.

"What's going on? We suddenly felt spiritual energy flare so strong that Kilala couldn't stay near the hut." Sango said as she jumped off and Kilala returned to her smaller size.

"We found out that Katina and Ryo are Ryu-Inus and they have the same suppression spell on them that I had." I said, still looking towards the hut. "Miroku and Kagome are working on breaking the spells. Kaede said it will take half a day at the least."

"Wow, and we thought the whole clan was wiped out." Sango said.

It was clear from the way that she watched me that she was trying to read my emotions.

At the moment my emotions were too conflicted for even me to figure out. I knew I should be happy at finding more of my clan, but for some reason I just couldn't fully get myself to feel the excitement.

"Great, more flying mutts to bother me." Inuyasha mumbled. I raised my staff up so that the tip just brushed against his leg. "What?" He asked looking down.

I didn't say anything and let a huge amount of electricity flow through the staff and into his body. He fell from the tree with a startled yell.

"I think you may have over done it that time." Sango said as we looked down at the seemingly unconscious half-demon.

"Yea, I think you're right." I responded with a smirk.

We sat for a while; Sango polishing her weapons, and me poking Inuyasha.

"What have ye done to Inuyasha?" We both turned to see Kaede heading towards us and stood to greet her.

"Nothing much, just showing him my abilities." I responded with as innocent a look as I could muster without laughing.

"I see. Sorry I didn't tell ye about the spiritual barrier that arose with the spell. When the spells are being broken both the demon and the one breaking the spell are in a weakened state, so a barrier is put up to protect them." Kaede stated.

"Oh no problem, I just almost got purified out of existence. It's no big deal really." I scoffed.

"I've come to ask that Sango assist me in looking after the four since she is the only other one who can enter the barrier. I will especially need help for when their demon blood kicks in."

"I'd be honored to help Lady Kaede." Sango said with a slight bow.

"What do we do then?" I asked, poking Inuyasha with my staff to see if he was still breathing.

"Stop poking me you mutt." Inuyasha said from where he lay on the ground.

So he wasn't unconscious; he was just face down and paralyzed.

"The only thing ye can do is wait here and make sure no stray demons come by." Kaede said.

"Easy enough I suppose." I responded.

The old priestess fixed her eyes on me with a stern expression. "I know ye instincts will call for you to come when you sense their pain. Dragon dogs are very loyal and protecting of their packs, even more so than other canines. This will be heightened by your knowledge of them being the only ones of your pack left, but ye must not come. It will only lead to trouble." She said and I felt like a child being lectured.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and nodded.

"I'm sure Kilala and Inuyasha will ensure that nothing of the sort happens." Sango said and the two of them headed back to the hut.

"Inuyasha can't even move." I mumbled when they were out of view.

"Shut up." I heard the half demon growl.

'He may not be able to, but I can young one.' Kilala mewed from where she'd jumped on my shoulder.

"Don't worry Kilala; I know how fierce you can be." I said with a smile. "Unlike a certain half demon I could name." I added.

I hadn't noticed that Inuyasha had apparently gotten control of his arms back until I felt his hand grab my ankle and pull it from under me so that I fell beside him.

"You're a childish ass." I grumbled dusting off my clothing and getting back up. Despite my annoyed statement, I couldn't resist a small smile.

Inuyasha didn't say anything in response but I could hear him chuckle as he turned himself over onto his back.

'You're both children in my view.' Kilala mewed shaking her head.

**~Ryo~**

"_Where am I?"_ I wondered as I looked around me.

There wasn't anything solid beneath my feet and I got the feeling that I was floating. I was surrounded by white mist, almost as if I were in the middle of a cloud.

"Ah, my son! You are a bit early, but I do not mind." I heard a gruff voice say.

"Who's there?" I asked putting myself in the best defensive position I could while floating.

A booming chuckle sounded from the voice and I could slowly see a figure coming into view. As he walked it seemed as if things were changing around me.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. The last I saw of you, was when you were only five years old, too young to remember much." The voice said and I squinted to see who it was coming from.

The man who stood before me was clearly a demon.

With each step he took more and more things became visible around me, and I could feel solid ground form beneath my feet. I could see what looked to be a village forming around him and myself.

The demon standing before me was my height, if not an inch or so taller. He had silver hair that came just below his shoulders and was tied in a high ponytail like a general's. His eyes were a hard steely grey that showed he knew battle and knew it well, but underneath the hardness there was a softness that I could just barely make out. I absently noticed that we shared similar facial features.

He was dressed simple. He had a on a pair of black hakama pants and a golden breastplate. Around his neck I could see a golden pendant that held a dog's paw print with a dragon wrapped around it. It was the same symbol I remembered Kazuko having on her silver pendant.

On his wrist I could make out two dragon tattoos wrapped around them, similar in design to the one wrapped around Misaki's waist. The dragon on the right was brown and the one on the left was blue.

"You have yet to answer my question. Who are you?" I asked again, dropping my stance.

"Ah so you did. My name is Ryu, and I am your father." The demon said grinning.

"My…father…" The only thing I could do was to repeat him. "So I am a demon?" I questioned silently.

Of course Kazuko and the old priestess Kaede had said they suspected as much, but to hear a demon announce that he was my father left no room for speculation.

"Indeed you are, and a fine one at that." The demon…my father said. "We Ryu-Inu are the most powerful of demons if I do say so myself." He added puffing his chest a bit with a silly grin. It was clear that he had a big ego, though it wasn't a malicious one like Lord Toro's and his followers.

"Where are we?" I asked, his almost childish behavior amusing me.

"Our home." He answered sweeping his arm around the area. As he did the rest of the village solidified around us. "Or what it was before the attack." He added sadly.

I could see shadowy figures of people walking about the village. They seemed completely unaware of us and I realized they were when one demoness walked straight through me.

"This is an illusion." I stated, looking from the villagers back to my father.

"Sadly, yes. This is the village on the day that we had to seal your, Katina and Misaki's powers. It is this night that the east would lay waste to our clan. The suppression spell allowed me to put some of my demonic aura in it to show you anything of my choosing, but my time is limited. I figured this was the most important thing to show you." He said and began walking towards a large castle that was settled in the back of the village.

I was going to ask him who Misaki was, but as he walked away I figured I could wait until later.

I followed him and watched the villagers as I went. After having been at the east for so long and being abused by demons, I assumed them to all be heartless monsters. Yet as I walked they seemed no different than humans other than in appearance.

_Like in human villages, I could see children running about playing games like tag. Only here the children could fly, freeze others, move the earth, summon water, and electrocute others. Though these differences were present, it was clear that they were still just as innocent in their game as human children._

_I could see older demons sitting around telling stories of old days. I guessed that for a demon to look old they had to have been around for a very long time._

_Mothers were carrying infants and chatting with each other, as men boasted about how promising their children looked to be. _

_I even stopped to observe what looked to be a lesson house. _

_There was one adult in the front and a group of ten or so children sitting and watching._

"_Ok so who can tell me the five basic elements?" The adult asked. Every student raised their hands and a chorus of "ooh me" and "pick me" could be heard._

"_Yes, Dai." The adult said pointing to a boy in the back. A couple of disappointed grumbles could be heard._

"_Fire, water, earth, electricity, and air." The boy said_

"_Very good. If you all keep it up you'll be ready to move up to weapons training." The teacher said. _

_Cheers could be heard as I continued walking once I saw that my father had gotten ahead of me._

_It all seemed so…human._

"Here we are the castle." My father said interrupting my thoughts.

_We passed through the door and up the stairs to a small dimly lit room. _

"Watch." My father whispered as we moved to stand beside a cot.

_The door slid open revealing my father, or what used to be him in this vision of the past dressed as he was now. "Lady Mia it is nice to see that you and the future heir have made it out of labor safely." He stated coming in._

_On the cot sat a beautiful demoness that looked no older than twenty. She held a tiny bundle in her hands that cooed softly._

"_Yes, it was a hard labor, but we are happy that it is over." An older demon was sitting beside the bed, with a demoness sitting beside him. He spoke with a voice that showed his age._

"_Lord and lady." The past version of my father said and bowed._

"_General Ryu, I assume you are here to introduce yourself and your son to the new heir." The older demoness said, standing to greet my father with a hug. "Come on in Ryo." She said quietly and I squinted to see a smaller figure entering the room._

My eyes widened as I saw the child that entered.

_He was no bigger than a human toddler, but he was walking without faltering. _

_The child had silver hair like my father that stopped at his shoulders, but his eyes were a dark violet. He wore a small pair of white hakama pants and a red sleeveless shirt. The child held a small bear and seemed unsure as he walked in._

"_Don't be shy young Ryo. Come meet your cousin Misaki." The older demoness said taking the child's free hand and leading him to the younger demoness._

"_I brought her a bear because mama said babies like soft things. This used to be my bear, but papa said that I'm too old for it now." The child's voice was quiet as he held up the bear. _

"_That's very nice of you Ryo. I'm sure she will love it." The younger demoness said._

"_Can I see her?" The child asked._

"_Of course." Mia replied and turned the infant slightly so that it could be seen._

_The infant had the same violet eyes, hair and markings that Kazuko had. _

"_She's very beautiful." My father stated. "My brother would be proud of her. She has our mother's eyes, just like Ryo. But that hair is unlike any I've seen before."_

"_Ryo, I would like to speak with you." The older demon stated standing and walking to a small chest that was on a table across the room. "Here are two of the pendants. The one for Misaki will be retrieved later tonight."_

"_Two pendants? Who is the other for?" My father asked coming to look over the pendants._

"_An infant named Katina that was born the same day, only a year prior, as Misaki. We needed two others that were born the same day as Misaki and luckily your son shares her birth date." The older demon answered then continued to answer the question that was on my mind. "The spell will wear off in exactly two decades when the wearer's birth date arrives and transport them back to the front of the castle. Having three that share the same birth date will ensure that they all arrive at the same time." _

"_It is a heavy burden to see my son robbed of his true nature, but if it ensures his survival I am willing to allow it." My father whispered picking up one of the pendants. "Katina, that's the name of the infant born to the mages Kio and Tia?" He added in a louder tone._

"_Indeed, they are of a powerful mage bloodline that is among the strongest in the clan." The older demon answered._

_I could see the child making faces at the infant, who cooed in response; both were clearly unaware of what was going on. _

"_Will she start lessons next moon cycle too?" The child asked the younger demoness._

"_Of course not, she's just an infant." The older demoness said with a smile. "Just like you, she will have to wait until she reaches her fifth life celebration."_

"_Oh." The child said then went back to playing._

My attention was brought back to my father and the older demon as they continued to talk.

"_You are to place the spell when he falls asleep. From our reports the east should arrive by tomorrow at midday. We must hide the three by then." The older demon said his expression stern but it held a heavy trace of sadness. "The west is sending their army to aid us, and should arrive by tomorrow morning. I hope that with their help we can save the clan and all of this will be unneeded, but we will hide the children until we are sure the war is over."_

"_I understand." My father said going back over to the others by the cot. "Say goodbye Ryo, we must get home. Your mother should be home soon, and we don't want her to drown me for not having you washed up for dinner." _

"_Ok papa, bye everyone, bye Misaki." The child said waving and following my father out of the room._

_We followed them as they left the castle and headed to what looked to be the training grounds and a lone hut that sat across from it. _

_It made sense that the general would live near the castle, especially if the general was related to the royal family._

_I watched as my father helped the child cleanup and get the dirt off of his skin and clothing._

"_There, I think you look supper ready. Don't you think so Ryo?" My father asked removing his breastplate and putting on a yellow sleeveless shirt._

"_Yes papa." The child answered looking over a pair of blades that hung on the wall. _

_The blades were magnificent to say the least. Both were one edged, each about a forearm's length. The hilts were wrapped in black cloth. The only flaw being that the blades seemed dull. They almost looked too worn out to fight with. _

"_Don't let your mama catch you looking at these, she'll have my head." My father joked picking up the swords. _

A light gasp escaped me as I watched the blades changed.

_As soon as they were firmly in my father's hands they changed. Both grew to an entire arm's length in size and sharpened to a deadly degree. The one in his right hand turned brown and seemed to be surrounded by sand-like material. The one in his left hand turned blue and I could see waves ripple around it as if it were covered in a layer of water. _

"_One day these will be yours." My father said reaching to put them back up._

"_General Ryu! General Ryu!" A voice shouted and a demon came running in. He was dressed for battle with a similar breastplate as my father's, only his was black._

"_Nyo, what are you doing around here? Your mate's cooking having you running again?" My father asked with a chuckle. _

"_You must gather get to the castle quickly. It's the east! Our scouts have spotted them less than a mile away!" The young soldier gasped as he left the hut, most likely to go alert others._

"_No." My father whispered as he threw his breastplate back on over his shirt. _

_He quickly scooped up the child while grabbing his swords and rushed back to the castle. _

"_Ryu!" The young demoness from before was standing just within the gates. She still held the infant from before and now had a second infant in her arms and a large beast standing beside her. _

_It looked to be canine, except for the dark red scales that lined its back and the scaly wings protruding from its shoulders. The rest of its body was covered in black fur. Its claws were the size of daggers and saber-sized fangs protruded from its mouth. Two dark red horns protruded from its skull just above its ears. Its yellow eyes looked intelligent despite the creature's beastly appearance._

_I vaguely remembered seeing similar beast walking through the village and around the castle._

"_I've heard, Mia, we must move quickly." My father said leading the way out. _

_I watched as the demoness got upon the back of the beast and they followed._

"_Papa, what is going on?" The child asked from my father's arms._

"_I cannot explain now Ryo. Please, just keep your head down." The child gave soft whimpers but followed as instructed. _

_They fled to just outside of the village away from the cries and shouts of the villagers defending their homes. The sounds of war could be heard clearly even from this distance._

"_Here, she is the other infant, Katina, and I have her pendant. I must go get Misaki's pendant. Please place the spells on these two and then take them to the village as planned." Mia said handing over the other infant and the pendant. Once my father nodded the beast took to the skies and headed south with the princess on its back._

_I finally got a good look at the other infant. She had shadowy black hair that was barely visible in the dimming light of sunset. Her eyes, that were barely open, were a color silver I had never seen before. _

"_Ryo I need you to stay right here and don't move." My father said putting the child down. The child nodded, watching intently what his father was doing._

_My father placed the pendant just above the infant's chest and applied a little force. The infant began to cry as the pendant and infant glowed._

_Her hair began to fade to a dull dark brown and her eyes turned black. The little fangs dulled to human teeth and the claws that gripped her blanket turned into fingernails. The transformation completed as the pendant completely entered her body and the glowing went away._

"_Papa what is going on?" The child trembled as he watched the transformation, gripping his father's pants. "I am scared."_

"_I wish I had more time to explain, but for now you must trust me. I am sealing away your demon blood and your memories, so that you may blend in with the humans. A time will come when the spell will break and you will return here to help our clan." My father said grabbing the other pendant._

"_But I don't want to leave you and mama." The child cried, tightening his grip on his father's clothing. _

"_I know son, but you must. It is for your own good, and the good of the clan. Just remember that your mother and I love you very much." My father said, and I could see a tear slid down his cheek. He took the child in a tight embrace before releasing. "Now please be a good boy and lay down so that I can do this."_

_The child's eyes were flowing with tears, but he did as his father said. _

_My father wiped his eyes and began to do the same as he had done with the infant. _

_The child cried as his own demonic powers were sealed. His silver hair turned black and his dark violet eyes turned brown; his claws and fangs disappeared. _

I watched in awe as the child went from an unfamiliar demon to a smaller version of me.

"_Hey, I think I heard some trying to escape over here." A voice called into the darkness as the sun had gone down by the time the spell was complete._

"_Let's get them. Remember Lord Rai said no survivors." A second voice said followed by a roar of a group of demons coming towards my father._

"_Who are you?" The smaller me asked looking around in confusion. _

"_I cannot explain. Take the infant and run south, there is a village with a priestess named Kaede she will take you in." My father instructed the little me._

_The younger me was too scared to say anything and nodded. He picked up the infant and began running south._

"_Hey I see something running." A bull demon said coming into view from the surrounding trees._

"_I'll get it." What looked to be a black fox said only to be cut down._

"_You will not lay a hand on the children." My father said taking a battle stance. Ten more bulls and foxes came from the surroundings._

"_Look what we have here, a poor mutt away from home." One fox joked as they prepared their weapons._

"_Well we'll just have to help him get home…in pieces." Another bull said as they charged._

The illusion faded away as I watched my father hold his own against the bulls. I did not get to see how it ended, but I could guess.

"You died protecting us." I said looking towards my father. His face was firm but held hints of sadness.

"And I'd do it again to ensure that you got to live." My father said.

"They caught us." I mumbled.

"I know, I tried, but a few of the bastards slipped past me." He responded with a light growl.

"Thank you." I said after a few moments of silence.

"There is no need. You are my son; I did what any father would have done for his child." He responded pulling me into an embrace. "Now that you know the truth you will be fine. Keep an eye on Misaki and Katina, you are the oldest. I was able to send my swords away, they are a family heirloom and I want you to have them. You will find them in the western castle; your pendant will be enough proof to get you in." My father said and I could see his form begin to fade.

"Wait, what of my mother?" I shouted, not wishing for him to go.

"She was the one sent to retrieve the third pendant. She met up with Princess Mia and gave her Misaki's pendant." He said. "Remember, we love you and we're proud of you. It's up to the three of you to avenge our clan."

"But how can we do that? The east is still as strong, if not stronger than they were then. How can three of us do what an entire clan couldn't?" I questioned, the sense of responsibility overwhelming my mind.

"Go north, the Ryu-Okami clan will be able to help you train and the northern lord already knows of the arrangements. The plan had been for a member of the Ryu-Okami clan to meet you on the day that your pendants unlocked your true blood." He added as the last of him faded away.

I could feel tears streaming down my cheeks as I watched his form fade away completely.

I didn't have long to think over his leaving as I feel an immense pain, starting from my chest and spreading throughout my entire body.

It felt as if my body were on fire and being electrocuted. I watched as my fingernails sharped into claws and could feel my teeth shifting to fangs. A few strands of hair that fell into my face went from black to silver and I could guess my eyes were going dark violet as well.

I could just barely make out two dragon tattoos forming on my wrist, one yellow and one red.

My mind went numb from the pain.

**~Kazuko~**

A loud snarl ripped through the forest from the direction of the village and both Inuyasha and I stood in response.

We had been sitting at the base of the tree talking about what had happened since I left the group. Inuyasha wasn't so bad to hang around now that he wasn't constantly suspecting me of spying.

Night had already fallen and I was beginning to consider going to the western castle alone then returning.

**Pack in trouble. We must go help.** My inner demon said fighting for control and trying to head back to Kaede's hut.

'They're fine, Kaede said so.' I growled in my head trying to fight down my demon, a fight I was losing.

**They are in danger!** My beast snarled. I could feel my body shifting into my smaller true form.

Kilala was in front of me immediately in her battle form.

'No Kazuko, you know you cannot go.' She warned in a yowl. 'I do not wish to fight you, but I will if I must.'

'**I must defend my pack.'** My beast growled using my mouth. **'They are all I have left.'**

'I cannot let you pass.' Kilala growled crouching into a ready position.

'**Then I will take you down.'** My beast barked in response and crouched.

'Then you leave me no choice.' Kilala snarled.

"Don't you even think about it Kazuko. I don't know what you're saying but don't think I'm letting you go back to the hut." Inuyasha said drawing his sword.

Without responding to either I leapt for Kilala.

She reared up to meet my attack.

With my demon in control and using my full power it didn't take long to knock the neko over.

I watched in horror as I saw my fangs lower towards her neck.

'_Inuyasha do something!'_ I mentally shouted as all I could do was watch.

"Oh no you don't!" I heard Inuyasha shout and felt a hard weight slam into my side, knocking me off of the feline.

Kilala was up immediately and standing beside Inuyasha.

"Distract her Kilala." I heard Inuyasha whisper.

The fire cat leapt at me and nipped my front paw before jumping back out of reach of my claws that swiped at her. Quickly, she was able to get behind me and nip at one of my hind paws. Once again she was able to move before I could lash out at her. She continued this until I had no choice but to focus my full attention on her.

I never noticed Inuyasha creeping up behind me until I felt a large force come in contact with the back of my head.

'_That ass knocked me out!'_ I thought as darkness surrounded me and I felt my body fall on its' side.

**~Miroku~**

I cannot recall a time that I've ever had to use so much spiritual energy. My body felt on the verge of collapsing when I felt something solid push against my palm.

Opening my eyes I could see that a golden pendant was now in my hand.

Instead of the human male that I had originally seen, I was now staring a full-blooded demon in his violet eyes.

If I hadn't previously known this would happen I would have been startled as I watched Ryo sit up. He seemed groggy and groaned a bit but was otherwise unharmed.

I watched quietly as he looked himself over the best he could before he turned to me.

"The pendant?" He asked his voice a little hoarse, most likely from the snarling he had been doing.

"Oh, here." I said placing the golden pendant in his hand.

"Thanks." He replied.

I could feel the spiritual energy fade almost completely from the hut.

"Oh my." We both turned to see Katina sitting up as well.

Kagome looked tired but happy.

Apparently everything had worked out well.


	17. Katina's Awakening

**Welcome back wonderful readers and ever more wonderful reviewers. It's nice for you all to join me. :D**

**I'm loving the reviews, I'm almost to 30 :D, so if you guys could keep them coming it helps me get the chaps out faster for you.  
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**Only one note for this chapter. As stated in the last chapter, THIS AND THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER ARE HAPPENING AT THE EXACT SAME TIME.**

**Other than that, I give you the next chapter in 'Where I Belong'.**

**Enjoy! ^^  
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><p><strong>~Katina's Awakening~<strong>

**~Katina~**

Why am I going along with this?

A random demoness shows up at the eastern castle, borderline kidnaps me and Ryo, tells us that she thinks we're demons, and says she can break the spell to turn us into demons.

The worst part of it all?

We actually listened to her!

We knew demons were evil and frequently tricked humans.

For all we know she could be preparing to eat us as we speak. After all I'm floating in a white mist.

I may be dead right now and not even realize it because I trusted a demon.

Yet Ryo had really trusted them and he has never trusted anyone but me.

"You seem troubled Katina, why is that?" I tried to locate the voice I heard after unsuccessfully trying to turn around. I could tell that the voice was that of a female.

"Who…who's there?" I could feel my panic rising as I tried to see through the mist.

"My name is Tia." A figure appeared bringing with her a change in scenery.

"What are you?" I asked looking the figure over as it came into full view.

Her clothing reminded me of a mage that had visited the eastern castle once. She wore a long black robe that was wrapped around her so that no other part of her clothing was visible. The hood of her cape made it hard to see her head.

From what I could see, she had hair so black it looked more like a shadowy creature than hair. Her eyes were a dark gold that looked at me through the darkness of her cape making it was clear that she was a demon.

On the left side, at her chest, the robe had a golden emblem. It was a dog's paw with a dragon wrapped around it.

'_Like the demoness Kazuko's pendant.'_ I thought in horror. _My suspicions are right, it was all a trick!'_

"I am a demoness." She said, narrowing her eyes.

I had heard that demons could smell fear, and if so, she could probably smell it radiating off me in waves.

"What do you want with me?" I asked, assuming I knew the answer.

"To show you the truth." She seemed to be watching me intently.

"What truth?"

"Come and I will show you." The demoness turned from me and began walking.

I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts of this demoness killing me; I hadn't realized I was no longer floating in a white mist. Instead, I was now standing in the middle of a busy village.

I almost relaxed.

Only a stupid demon would attack me in the middle of a village. Yet, somehow something about this village seemed off.

My eyes widened as I figured it out.

'_It's a demon village!'_ I nearly fainted at the realization. I cringed as I saw a group of demons walking my way.

"They cannot hurt you, this is only an illusion." The demoness said having turned after realizing I had stopped.

Her words were confirmed as the group walked straight through me. I blinked in surprise and watched them walk about before turning back to the demoness.

"Are you an illusion too?" I asked, taking small steps towards her.

"Yes and no. Now come, there is much I have to show you and very little time to do so." She said and began walking again.

In this mystery demon village I had no choice but to follow her. She led me past a lone hut that sat at the back of a training ground and past a huge castle that sat in the back of the village. We stopped at the edge of the village.

"Watch." The demoness said.

_There were numerous huts each with different cauldrons sitting outside._

_A demon exited the largest of the huts. _

_He wore a black robe, similar to the demoness' with me. It covered all of him except for his head and his right arm that stuck out holding a staff. Around his visible wrist a blue dragon tattoo could be seen. Piercing silver eyes peaked from underneath the dip of his hood and a hint of silver hair could be seen._

_Behind the demon exited a demoness much like the one that led me here. The only difference being that she was cradling an infant._

"_Why is it that she is allowed to be saved?" The voice came from a second demon that came rushing out of the hut behind the two. _

_It was clear he was a bit younger by the tone of his voice and his slightly smaller size._

"_Fu, I will not go through this again." The older demon said, while the demoness only cradled the infant closer. She seemed so sad and didn't even look up at the young demon._

"_No father! I have sat idly by and watched silently, but I cannot be silent any longer." The younger demon, Fu, growled._

"_Fu…" The demoness started in a much softer voice than the older demon._

"_No mother, I want an explanation!" Fu demanded._

"_Fine!" The older demon growled_

"_Kio don't…" The demoness said but then fell silent as the infant began to whimper._

"_I must Tia. He will only hold us up until he has his answers. You go to the castle and see Princess Mia." Kio ordered._

_The demoness nodded and began walking towards the castle._

I felt drawn to the infant, but I wanted to stay and see what happened between father and son first.

_Fu made to stop the demoness but his legs were frozen by a quick shift of Kio's staff._

"_Do not stop me father, this is not fair!" Fu shouted as he worked to chip away the ice with the end of his own staff._

"_Not until you have calmed. We have a war to prepare for and I have not the time for you childish actions." The demon said renewing each shard of ice as it was chipped off. His frustration with the younger demon was clear, but he maintained a calm voice as he spoke._

"_Childish? I am fighting for my own survival! Something my parents won't do!" Fu growled._

"_State you issue." Kio said narrowing his eyes._

"_Why Katina? She is only an infant, what help could she possibly provide?" Fu started. He stopped trying to pick the ice as his temper flared. "I am the eldest! I am said to be the strongest mage born to this clan in centuries! Katina is merely an infant that is lucky to have been born on the same day as the next heir!"_

"_You are strong my son, that I cannot deny. Yet I wonder about your heart and your intentions. You want too much and refuse to look beyond yourself." The older demon said. "As far as Katina being chosen, I have no control over the matter. It is the clan lord's request and I will not deny it. I have faith in his plan."_

"_Is my desire to live too much?" The younger demon shouted. "As far as the clan lord is concern I curse his very name! It is because of him that we are facing this war in the first place. Had he simply given up the heir, we would be fine! The east would not be sending its' entire army to obliterate us!"_

"_The clan lord is doing as he sees fit, not just as a lord, but also a grandfather. He wishes not to see his own grandpup to be used as a weapon of war. If I were in his place I have no doubt that I would have chosen the same path." Kio reasoned but as the younger demon began to growl louder it was clear that the father's message wasn't getting through._

"_So he would rather see his entire clan slayed? Then that makes him a fool." Fu once again began to work at chipping away the ice._

"_Why are you so troubled my son?" Both demons turned to see the Tia returning from the castle, without the infant. "The rest of the clan is honored to lay their life on the line for each other and the infant heir. What bothers you?"_

"_I have no desire to lay my life on the line for anyone but myself, especially an infant that is the root of this war!" Fu spat. "Besides what do you know? You're willing enough to give up your own children's lives."_

The demoness beside me flinched at his words.

"_It matters not what you think!" Tia snapped. "Night is falling and we must prepare for tomorrow. Our healing and strength potions will be needed if we are to have any hope of winning this war."_

_Fu only gave a snarl and continued to hack at the ice, while his parents watching in silence._

"_High Mages!" A young demoness shouted as she ran towards the three. She was wearing the same robe the rest of them wore. "The potions are all gone!"_

"_What do you mean Yura? We have made those potions only this morning." Tia said getting the young mage demoness to calm down._

"_I was asked to bring an inventory to the war room, and when I entered the store room it was completely empty. Not just the ones we've made today, but all of the potions that were in the store!" Yura responded. Her breathing had calmed but her voice was still edging on hysteria. _

"_Show us." Kio said as the two older demons followed the girl, leaving Fu to fight the ice._

I followed the three to a store hut located behind the grouping of mage huts.

"_See it is as I said." Yura stated, sliding the door open._

"_How?" Kio whispered as they stepped inside._

_There were many shelves in the room, but all of them were mostly empty. _

_The only things that remained were puddles of spilled potions and a few broken glasses. It was clear that whoever had done this intended to take the potions but worked too quickly. _

"_Those were generations of hard work done by our ancestors. We cannot redo these in one night." Kio said quietly, running his other hand over one of the bare shelves. His other wrist had a white dragon on it._

"_What shall I tell the clan lord?" Yura asked hesitantly._

"_Tell him as it is, we have been robbed. On your way alert every mage to return immediately." Tia said going to place her hand on Kio's shoulder as Yura ran off to do as ordered. "We cannot redo all that has been loss. But we must do what we can tonight. Tomorrow's battle will be hard and we will need every edge we can get."_

"_Right as always Tia, I cannot have asked for a better mate." Kio said grasping the hand at his shoulder. "We should retrieve the scrolls and prepare the cauldrons. It appears we will not be resting tonight."_

_Both demons left the store hut and headed back in the direction of their hut. Upon arriving, there was no sign of the young Fu who had been trapped._

"_Where has he gotten to?" Kio wondered out loud._

"_He is most likely off to sulk, but we have not the time to search for him." Tia stated as she entered the hut._

"We should have gone to find him."

I had almost forgotten that the demoness showing these illusions to me was standing beside me.

"Why? What happened to him?" I questioned.

"You shall see." She responded and my attention was brought back to the illusion.

_For hours the mages worked until the moon rose. They were very efficient in their work and were able to turn out at least a hundred potions. With the mages strange beast worked beside them carrying cauldrons and potions between the mages. The creatures looked mostly canine, with the exception of their scaly backs, horns and wings._

"_This will be the last batch." Kio announced to the working mages._

"_But this is only enough for half the village." One of the female mages protested._

"_True, but if we are all too weary to fight tomorrow, it will do no good. We must have faith in our clan." Tia said firmly but softly._

"_Perhaps we could work in shifts?" One of the male mages suggested. "I agree that we need to rest, but there are not enough potions here. Some can sleep while others work, and then we can switch."_

"_That is a great idea Noi. If there are no objections we will do as said." Kio said and the rest of the mages gave their agreement. "Ok then Noi, Jasmine, Li, Dai and I will stay up for the first shift. At moon-high Yura, Neo, Fu and Tia will take over. Then at sunrise everyone is to get some sleep." _

_Some of the mages returned to their huts and other continued working. _

_Tia stood and began walking towards the castle, only to be stopped by Kio._

"_You are on second shift. You should get some sleep." Kio said keeping his voice down._

"_I shall, but first I want to see Katina again. They will be taking the three to the village tomorrow morning. I wish to say goodbye again." Tia said, her voice showing her sadness at being separated from her child._

"_Be quick, we will need your skills tonight and tomorrow. While you are there, please update the clan lord to our status." Kio said before returning to assist in the potion making._

We followed the woman back to the castle, where she entered a small room with barely any light in it.

"_High Mage Tia, has something else happened?" A demon said from where he sat next to a cot._

"_No my lord I came to tell you that we are recovering as fast as we can. We already have half of our store recovered, and will be working into the night." Tia said giving a slight bow._

"_That is good." A demoness said from where she sat beside the clan lord. "Is there something else?"_

"_I wished to say goodbye to Katina again." Tia said quietly._

"_Of course, I can only imagine what you're going through." A younger demoness said from where she sat on a cot. In her arms were two infants, one being Tia's child and one looked like an infant version of Kazuko._

"_Princess Mia." Tia said bowing again. "It is hard to be separated from one's child, especially so soon after birth."_

"_Indeed, but you must maintain hope. I have faith that I will be able to see Misaki again, and you must have faith that you will see Katina again." The princess said, holding up Tia's infant daughter._

_Tia took the infant and cradled her softy. "Yes, I will have faith."_

_Tia held the infant for minutes, and a shallow stream of tears could be seen running down her cheeks. The infant gave soft coos as she was rocked and began to drift to sleep._

"_Where is Ryo?" Tia asked softy as the infant fell asleep._

"_He is with his father. Ryu will bring him back once he falls asleep." The clan lord said. "Perhaps it is best you leave now, I'm sure the mages need you. We will be performing the sealing spell shortly."_

"_Yes I will go, that is a sight I could not bear to watch." Tia said handing the infant back to the princess then exiting the room, the stream of tears on her cheeks widening._

_The female High Mage left and headed back towards the cluster of mage huts. She was almost there when a loud horn sounded._

"_The battle horn?" She questioned to herself quietly._

_A young soldier ran by but was stopped by the mage._

"_What is going on Nyo?" Tia demanded._

"_The east is here! They are less than a mile away; please alert all that you can High Mage Tia." He said then took off._

_Tia ran the rest of the way back to the mage huts, startling the working mages as she skidded to a stop._

"_What is all the noise about? We should be resting for tomorrow." The mage Noi commented._

"_The east has arrived! Everyone must prepare now!" Tia shouted, rousing those who had been sleeping. "Everyone awaken, the east is here!" She went from hut to hut to ensure everyone had heard her. _

_Soon every mage in the cluster was standing around her weapons in hand, while putting the potions in sacks._

"_Yura, Dai, and Li, you are the youngest and have yet to experience your first battles. Thus you are to go to the tunnels and assist in protecting the elders and young ones. Unfortunately we cannot spare any potions for anyone not fighting on the front lines, so you will have to go off of your own strength." Kio ordered and the three young mages ran to do as said._

"_Jasmine you are our best healer. Choose one to go with you." Tia stated looking towards castle._

"_Noi you've shown a lot of promise in the art of healing, so come with me. Remember heal the fatal and crippling wounds first. Minor cuts are to be ignored for now and…" The one named Jasmine took a shaky breath as she continued. "If the wound is too great, you must leave them and tend to the ones we can save. Take this bag and stay close to me." Both Jasmine and Noi began to make their way to the front of the village where the soldiers were gathering._

"_Ok that leaves Yura and Neo with me." Kio said looking around. "Grab your bags; it will be our duty to provide extra help to the soldiers. We are not trained in direct combat so do not attempt to do so. As a mage, your job is to cast spells to weaken the enemies so that the warriors can take them down." He said then turned to Tia. "Find Fu and meet up with us. We will be on the walls."_

_Tia nodded and watched as the three mages ran after the healers. She turned and headed outside of the village following her son's scent trails. _

_She was several miles from the village when voices were heard._

"_Are these all?" Tia quickly hid herself behind a tree as she heard the voice. It was a fox demon with a black tail and red tip. _

_He stood at the front of five other demons a mixture of fox and bull demons._

"_Yes, it is every last strength and healing potion from my clan's store. I took them myself." Fu spoke handing over bags filled with potions. "The red bag is strength and the green bag is healing." He added. "So will you spare my life? I can become a personal mage to the eastern lord."_

"_Well kid this is all good and I know I said I'd let you live if you brought them." The fox said handing the bag to two of his subordinates. "But if you're willing to betray your own flesh and blood, how can we trust you won't do the same to us."_

_Before Fu could respond the fox had pierced through his heart with a ruby-tipped dagger._

"_Ha, stupid kid just signed the death warrant for his entire clan." One of the bulls said passing out the potions._

"_Indeed he did. This was a great plan Tai. Who knows you may get promoted to general for this one." One of the foxes said as they headed back to the village to join in the massacre. _

_Behind the tree, Tia was now on her knees a hand over her mouth to hold in the sobs. Her cheeks and the top of her rob were soaked with tears as she shivered in sadness. _

_Once the eastern demons were gone she crawled her way over to the body of her son, and cradled him against her chest. She gently closed his fear stricken eyes, removed the dagger and pulled back the hood of his robe._

"_Why Fu? We could have won, and now I fear the entire clan will be joining you soon." She said, burying her face into the hair of her eldest child. "Despite this I love you my son." She added quietly. "If we are to win, I will tell all that you died for your clan in battle. I could not bear the thought of my son being marked a traitor." _

_I watched as she lifted her right hand, which had a brown dragon around it, and shifted the earth so that a hole appeared. Carefully she lowered her son's body and shifted the ground back over the new grave._

_With a final look at the fresh pile of dirt the demoness made her way back to the village._

"He was too young and afraid of death. He let his fear lead to betrayal." The demoness beside me said as the illusion faded and I was once again in the white mist with her.

"Why did you show me this?" I asked, feeling my own tears down the side of my face.

"You have grown to hate demons, despite the fact that you are one. You believe they are evil and uncaring, when demons differ just like humans do. I wished for you to see that demons can feel just as well as humans can." The demoness stated.

"That demoness, Tia, is you, isn't she?" My voice was soft as I couldn't bring myself to look at the demoness.

"Yes she was." Tia answered.

"What do you mean was?" I finally snapped my eyes up to her.

"That is who I was and no longer am. I died that night, as did the rest of our clan. Only you, Ryo and Misaki were able to get away. Unfortunately the east captured you and Ryo." Her voice gave away her sadness.

"So the infant that you were holding…"

"It was you."

"And that means that you're…"

"Your mother."

I couldn't think of what to say as the realization hit me. So I hadn't just been watching what happened to a clan of demons. I had watched what happened to **my** clan.

"All of this was brought on because of the one named Misaki?" I shouted as the images of my mother cradling who I now guessed to be my brother repeated in my mind.

"Do not let yourself fill with hatred towards another innocent being. That is the main reason I showed you what I did. Hate will only lead to disaster. Like you, Misaki was only an infant at the time, no more able to control what was going on than you were." Tia said placing a hand on my shoulder. "I wish for you to live without hate. But if you must hate, please do not place blame on those who are innocent. If you must hate, hate the east for bringing the slaughter to our clan."

"There is one named Kazuko she is a Ryu-Inu, where did she come from?" I asked. Kazuko was an identical replica of the infant, only the names differed.

"I know not of one named Kazuko, but perhaps you should ask her." Tia said and then continued. "My time with you is nearly at an end. You must avenge and rebuild our clan. It will never be the same, but it can be made stronger than it ever was."

"Before you go, can I make one request?" I asked, the tear flow of my eyes increasing. Here I was, standing face to face with my mother, something I had always dreamed of and I only had a few more moments with her.

"Anything my daughter." She replied softly.

"Can I see your face?" I requested.

"Of course."

I watched my eyes widening as the demoness removed her hood.

As I had thought her hair was black like a shadow and her eyes were a dark gold. Any doubt I had in my mind about her vanished as I gazed at her.

She was beautiful and a mirror image of me as far as facial features was concerned.

"I've always wanted to meet you. I told myself that my parents loved me and didn't just give me up like those demons in the east said." I choked out around my tears.

"We loved you very much and still do." My mother said as I ran into her arms. She returned my hug with just as much force. "Never doubt our love for you, as well as Fu's love. Do not hate him, please, he was young and foolish." She said her forming fading.

"Please don't go!" I shouted tightening my embrace hoping it would keep the demoness with me.

"I must, it has been almost two decades since I have seen my mate and clan and I wish to join them. Build a new clan, a stronger clan and always keep love in your heart." Tia said as the last of her faded out of my arms. "We love you Katina." I heard her voice whisper to me.

"Thank you mother." I called into the mist.

Soon my eyes wear tearing up for a reason other than sadness.

I began to feel an agonizing pain starting in my chest and spreading through my body. I could see claws forming where my fingernails had been and feel my teeth sharping to fangs.

I turned slightly to see my hair growing from where it had been just below my shoulders to my waistline. The hair began turning the same shadowy black as my mother as it grew. From the small puddle in my hand, from my tears, I could see that my eyes had turned silver, brighter than any piece of jewelry I had ever seen.

My silver eyes closed tightly in pain as the waves of pain increased.

It felt as if I were in the middle of a flaming whirlwind. My body felt as if it were being burned and ripped apart.

I tried to fight it, but soon darkness overcame me from the intensity of the pain.

**~Kagome~**

This time, breaking the spell had been much harder.

My body felt weary and cramped from being in the same position for some long. I was now grasping a golden pendant similar to Kazuko's silver one.

'_But I did it!'_ I thought happily as I was now looking down at a demoness instead of a human.

"I'm glad you have made it through safely as well, Lady Kagome." I turned to see Miroku looking my way. He was sweating fiercely and I felt that I was too.

"The same for you Miroku." I said then looked past him to the demon sitting up.

The demon looked unsure and sad as he focused on the golden pendant in his hand.

"How are you Ryo?" I asked softly as to not startle him.

"I feel different, but I am unharmed." The new Ryu-Inu male said looking my way briefly then looking past me as I heard a soft gasp from behind me. "Katina, you've made it as well." I could see him smile slightly as he did.

"Yes, it was very painful, but I have made it through." Katina said starting to sit up and I assisted her into a seating position. "Are you sure we have turned demon? I feel weaker than I ever have before." She commented.

"Here's your pendant." I said placing the golden object in the demoness' hand. "Kaede said you would feel weak until you got a decent rest." I answered as I looked out at the starlit sky. "She and Sango have gone to retrieve some more wood for the fire and cots to sleep on."

"Thank you." Katina said weakly and I got the feeling she wanted to be alone.

"I'm going to go find Inuyasha, Kazuko and Kilala so they can know it's safe to come back." I said and excused myself from the hut.

**~Inuyasha~**

I looked over Kazuko's passed out form. The fact that she was still in her true form at least meant I hadn't accidentally killed her. I realized that my hit may have been a bit too hard.

Kilala placed a paw on Kazuko's shoulder and pushed. She was answered by a quiet groan, but the Ryu-Inu didn't do anything besides that.

"Well at least she's alive." I said sheathing Tessiaga and sitting back against the trunk of the tree.

Kilala shook her head and I could have sworn I heard her sigh.

"Inuyasha what did you do!" I turned to see Kagome storming towards us. Her body looked tired but her eyes were fierce as she looked from me to the Ryu-Inu and back at me.

"I knocked her out be…" I didn't get to finish as Kagome reacted to the first part of what I said.

"Sit boy! Why would you do that?" She shouted and I cursed as I was dragged down by the enchanted necklace.

"It was that or she died!" I shouted, and realized that my explanation wasn't going well.

"What? Sit. Sit! SIT!" She shouted drilling me further into the ground.

"I believe what Inuyasha is trying to tell you is he was keeping Kazuko from being purified. Her instincts must have called out for her to protect her pack mates, and he knocked her out to keep her from getting killed by the spiritual barrier." I couldn't see, but I could tell that it was Sango's voice that was talking.

"Then why didn't you just say that?" Kagome puffed as she came over to me.

"I tried." I grumbled pulling myself up.

"Sango what are you doing here? I thought you were going to help Kaede." Kagome changed the subject as if she hadn't just 'sat' me for no reason.

"I was and then heard the yelling. I wanted to make sure you guys were ok." The demon slayer said as she petted Kilala.

"Well we have to get Kazuko back to the hut." Kagome said looking down at the Ryu-Inu. "Hopefully Inuyasha didn't do any real damage." She added shooting a glare in my direction.

"I was helping!" I shouted, waving my hands in frustration.

Both women ignored me as they tried to pick up Kazuko.

"Kilala would you mind helping us?" Sango asked, as the fire cat crouched down so they could put the Ryu-Inu on her back.

"That should work long enough to get back to the village." Kagome commented once they finished. She took one last look at me then began heading back to the village. "If she's not up by morning, you're going to be in big trouble."

My jaw dropped as I felt my shock and frustration rising.

"I was trying to help!" I shouted, stomping after them.


	18. I Don't Want To Go Back

**Howdy! **

**I want to say thanks to all the reviews out there! I got 6 reviews on the last chapter, that's a new record, let's keep it up. :D**

**I can't think of anything else to say for this chap, so I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'!**

**Enjoy ^^  
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><p><strong>~I Don't Want To Go Back~<strong>

'_Damn my head hurts.' _Groaning I rose to my paws. _'Paws?' _I thought groggily as the previous day came rushing back to me.

In just over twenty-four hours I had been tricked into staying at the eastern castle, rescued two abused workers who I thought were humans, and found out they were really Ryu-Inus.

Taking in my surroundings I noticed I was lying just outside of Kaede's hut on a cot. I took a seat and transformed back into my more human form.

'_If I'm back at Kaede's, then that means they finished the spell.' _I concluded as I stood and poked my head in the hut.

A wide grin formed as I took in the sight and scents of the hut.

As usual I could scent Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Kaede and Kilala, but now there were two new scents; two new **Ryu-Inu** scents.

**We are not alone.** My beast commented, contentment radiating from it.

'It appears so.' I responded stepping out of the hut.

'_I'll go find Inuyasha, I'm sure the rest of them are probably worn out from yesterday.' _ I thought as I picked up the half-demon scent and trailed it to the river that ran through his forest.

"You're up." He stated turning as I stepped up to the river.

"Yea, you know, you could have come up with a better plan than that. Kagome was really pissed about what you did; I don't think she's ever sat you that hard." I joked rubbing the back of my head.

"It was that or fight you all night." He snorted his attention going back to the river. "Wait, you were awake?" He snapped turning to face me.

"Yea I woke up about five minutes before Kagome showed up. I was going to tell her I was fine, but watching you take the heat was so much fun." I added with a smirk and moved out of the way as his claws swiped where I had been.

"I'll get you." He added half-halfheartedly while smirking.

"What are you doing out here? It's not like you to leave Kagome alone when she's weakened." I commented taking a seat on a fallen log.

"Well you were there, and Kaede suggested getting some food for everyone. I figured you could handle it until I got back. Kaede said with rest and food they should be good by sun high." Inuyasha said gesturing to a few fish that he had caught.

"That's a good idea we can get some meat for a stew too. I'll find something." I commented, wanting to stretch my limbs after sleeping so long. We had a few hours until sun high so I had plenty of time.

"Just don't get yourself in trouble. You have a habit of it." Inuyasha warned and I rolled my eyes.

"Of course mother, I wouldn't dream of it." I walked off into the forest before Inuyasha could answer.

As I walked I transformed back into my smaller true form and took in the scents around me.

'_Smells like a herd of deer to the north.' _I thought heading north.

After a few minutes of walking, my thoughts were confirmed. There was a small herd of deer, two fawns and a buck.

'_I'll go for a fawn.' _ I thought noticing a limp in one of the fawns' walk.

Crouching so that belly fur just brushed the ground I stalked forward. I made sure to stay upwind as I followed them. I took my time since I wasn't in a rush to practice my stalking.

I spent about an hour lazily following the deer around. A few times they would turn if I accidentally stepped on a twig or something; but for the most part they never noticed they were being followed.

I was finally about to pounce when a figure jumped at the deer. It landed on the buck and gave a quick, though sloppy killing bite to its neck. The healthy fawn took off away from me, but the weak on limped directly towards me. I quickly jumped its back and killed it in a swift bite to the spine.

'_What the hell?'_ With the fawn in my jaws, I couldn't smell anything else.

Knowing the wild animals around would quickly take the fawn if I left it; I dragged the carcass back to where I had seen the figure.

What I saw made me drop the fawn's body at my feet.

Standing before me was Ryo, in his true form.

Ryo was silver from head to foot. Not a single strand of fur or feather was different. His eyes were violet like mine, only they were a shade darker. He had a golden pendant identical to my silver one around his neck.

'Ryo?' I barked in his direction.

Ryo nodded his head and I could just make out his tail wagging slightly.

'How are you in your true form?' I questioned in a soft whine.

'When the spell was broken my memories returned. My parents had taught me how to transform when I was three. My father used to take me on small hunts.' Ryo barked back. 'I woke up and noticed you were gone. I originally came to ask you a few questions, but figured it would be nice to catch something to eat as a thank you for the others.'

'Well you found me and did good on catching the deer so we can head back and talk.' I commented picking up my fawn and headed in the direction of the village. As I turned I could hear Ryo doing the same and falling in step behind me.

**~Kilala~**

"I wonder were Kazuko and Ryo are?" Sango commented from where she sat in Kaede's hut.

"Maybe they left to get revenge on the east." Miroku suggested. "If you'd been abused by someone for your whole life, and then were granted equal, or maybe even greater, power to your abuser, wouldn't you want revenge? And Kazuko's pack instincts might lead her to try and help." The monk made a good point.

"But the two of them wouldn't stand a chance against an entire castle!" Kagome gasped. "Should we go after them?"

"I've just discovered my clan; I don't want to lose them." Katina said quietly.

The group debated in silence at the idea.

I could scent that the two were not far from the village.

"What's got you guys so quiet?" Inuyasha asked dropping a pile of fish.

"We don't know where Kazuko and Ryo are." Kagome mentioned.

"Kazuko went out hunting. I ran across her at the river." Inuyasha responded.

When I could scent the two closing in on the hut I gave a loud mew and ran outside.

"What's wrong Kilala?" I heard Sango call after me and the group following me outside.

'They're coming.' I mewed. To get my point across I transformed into my battle form and focused on the forest.

"Who said that?" Katina asked looking around at each person.

"Said what?" Miroku asked, standing a bit too close to Katina.

"Someone just said 'They're coming', I know I heard someone." She responded.

"Maybe it was Kilala. Full demons can understand other demons, from what we've seen with Kazuko and Shippo." Kagome suggested.

'It was me young one.' I responded pressing a paw against Katina's upper arm.

"Oh wow, it was Kilala." Katina said looking at me in shock.

"I can sense two demonic auras coming. One's Kazuko and I think the other is Ryo." Miroku stated.

"I think you're right." Kagome agreed.

Sure enough two figures came from the cover of the trees and out into the sunlight so that the group could see them fully.

The first was Kazuko, as the group was familiar with her true form.

The second was a silver winged dog, who I could scent to be Ryo. Both of them carried a deer carcass in their jaws.

"Oh look Kazuko's found another flying mutt." Inuyasha grumbled but a hint of humor could be heard in his voice.

Apparently Ryo didn't pick up on Inuyasha's joke as he growled in the half demon's direction.

'Relax, that's just Inuyasha's way of saying welcome to the group.' Kazuko barked as she put the deer she had down.

The growling ceased but Ryo's eyes narrowed towards the half-demon.

'We better change back, I'm sure the group has questions.' Kazuko said as she changed back into her usual form.

Ryo dropped his buck and followed at a slower pace, clearly unused to transforming.

"Wow, is that really you Ryo?" Katina said walking up to her pack mates.

"Yea, I could ask the same about you." Ryu said embracing Katina.

**~Kazuko~**

'_Those two definitely have a thing for each other.' _I thought watching Katina and Ryu hug.

**We could have that with Sesshomaru.** My demon butted in.

'Don't get me started on him. We already have to go see him.' I responded sourly.

"So Ryo was hunting with you, Kazuko?" Kagome asked, bringing my attention outward of my head.

"Huh? Oh yea we ran into each other in the forest." I responded, motioning towards the deer carcass.

"I see you brought deer for stew." Kaede said from where she was returning from the village.

"Yea I figured it would help everyone recover faster." I said, picking up the fawn and taking it to the side of the hut.

Ryo did the same and we worked to clean and cut the meat while burying the unneeded parts.

By the time we finished the rest of the group had a fire going with the fish roasting on it, and Kaede had the rest of the stew boiling. As we dropped in the deer meat we took a seat with everyone else around the fire.

"So what's it feel like?" Kagome asked looking at Ryo, Katina and I.

"What do you mean?" Katina asked back.

"Well for you two, how does it feel to find out you're demons; and for Kazuko, how does it feel to know that you're not the only one left?" Kagome clarified. She still looked a bit drained from the spell breaking, but it was clear she would recover just fine.

"It's a little strange, but at the same time it feels right." Katina said. "When my powers were sealed, I was too young to know any better, so it's all new to me." She added.

'_That's exactly how I felt.'_ I thought looking into the fire.

"I was five when my powers were sealed so I remember a little but not much. It feels good to be back to how I was born." Ryo stated, I noticed his attitude was brighter than it had been before.

"It's nice to know I'm not alone." I said grinning. "I never thought I would feel so happy about anything in my life, but just knowing I'm not alone…it's amazing."

"Hey Kazuko, we were told about the heir, a Shogakko named Misaki. Do you know where she is?" Katina asked and I smiled.

"You're looking at her." I answered.

"Wow really? How?" Katina asked with wide eyes.

I told them about being found and raised by humans, and about my name change.

"Oh and while I'm thinking about it, hold this." I said handing Katina my staff.

"Um ok, why?" She asked looking down at the staff in her hands.

"You'll see." I said turning my attention to the dragon at the end of the staff.

The dragon turned white and a red outline could be seen tracing it.

"You'll have to forgive me because this is my first time doing this. I'm pretty sure this means your main element is air and with training you can learn to control fire as well." I said, as she handed the staff back.

"Wow." I heard the group, minus Ryo and Inuyasha, say.

"Your turn, Ryo." I said tossing him the staff.

He caught it and the dragon turned yellow with a red outline.

"Lightning and fire for you." I said, catching the staff when it was tossed back.

"Save your words for later, the food is ready." Kaede interrupted as bowls of stew were passed around. "Each of you needs to eat so that you can get back to regular strength."

For an hour or so we ate in silence, even Inuyasha was able to keep his mouth shut so long as food was being shoved into it. Once the food ran out, he of course had to say something.

"So what are you runts going to do now?" The half demon asked, earning a growl from Ryo, a gasp from Katina and an eye roll from me.

"I have to go back to the western castle to get Shippo." I mumbled just loud enough for everyone to hear in the silence.

"Oh that sounds fun." Kagome said grinning from ear to ear like she'd just won a million dollars.

"Yea it's fun like swimming in a river full of knives." I growled.

"What's got you so pissed?" Inuyasha asked with a smirk as if he knew the answer.

"That asshole of a brother of yours." I spat.

"Half-brother." Inuyasha corrected.

"Whatever." I growled.

"What do you mean? I thought you and Sesshomaru were getting along?" Kagome said her grin falling quickly as if her money had just been taken back.

"I'd rather not talk about that arrogant dog if you don't mind." I grumbled. "But I have to go get Shippo and meet with some council. They want proof that the Ryu-Inu clan wasn't completely wiped out and I can't blame them. We've seen the imposters out there."

"There are demons out pretending to be Ryu-Inus?" Ryo asked with a hint of a snarl.

"Yes, and that is a story for another time." I said rubbing my head.

"We'll come with you then. I'm sure that once word gets out that there are three of us, they'll want to meet us all. The council is like that." Ryo said, putting his bowl aside.

"You've met them?" I asked tilting my head slightly.

"Not directly but they meet every decade, and each time in a different lord's home. Last time they met in the eastern castle, so we were made to serve them. We picked up a few things while we worked." Katina said rolling her eyes. "Just a bunch of old stiffs if you ask me."

"So who exactly is on this council then?" I asked, figuring their information could be useful.

"It's made of the four lords, their mates, their generals, the leaders of high ranking clans, and Duma." Ryo answered.

"Who's Duma?" Kagome asked.

"A better question is; what is Duma?" Sango said catching our attention. "We've heard stories of Duma before, back when I was a child in the slayer's village. No one knows for sure what Duma is. Most believe it to be a demon since it only interacts with them. Yet those that have been close enough state that they never felt a demonic presence."

"Aye Duma is heard of here as well. It is known as the father of all demons. It is said that he created the first demons by fusing animals with humans, but no one has ever confirmed it." Kaede added in.

"We're not sure what Duma is either. No one was allowed to go near his quarters, and in the meeting room he stayed hidden in a cloak so that no part of him was visible." Ryo said with a shrug.

"Yea it's kind of creepy." Katina said with a shiver.

"Wait, does that mean Toro will be there too?" I asked the anger evident in my voice.

"Yes, as lord of the east he is entitled to attend a council meeting." Ryo growled.

"Great two assholes to deal with." I shrugged crossing my arms. "You guys sure you want to come?" I asked.

"My father's swords are in the western castle and I'm not going to let you go alone. We're family, and it's my responsibility to stick with you and protect you." Ryo said.

"Family?" I repeated in a confused tone.

"You would be too young to know this, but our fathers were brothers." Ryo answered my unasked question.

"So that makes us cousins." I whispered in wonder. Ryo nodded with a smirk.

"That's so cool." Katina said beaming. "I'll go too."

'_I have a feeling you'd go anywhere Ryo's going.'_ I joked mentally.

"Then when you feel good enough to travel we'll go." I stated, about to lie down.

"Then we can go right now, right Ryo?" Katina said standing. "I feel better than I've ever felt before!"

"I agree, I think I'm good enough to travel." Ryo said standing as well.

"Well, then I guess we're off to the western castle." I sighed and stood.

"So how are we going to get there?" Katina asked and I smirked.

"We're going to run, since I doubt you can fly too well right now." I answered and transformed into my smaller true from.

"How did you do that?" Katina asked. This time instead of fainting from fear she was radiating excitement and wonder as she watched me.

'You want to take this one Ryo?' I barked, scratching my ear with a hind paw.

"Yea I'll help her." He said and went about explaining to Katina how to transform.

She picked it up a lot quicker than I did. We soon felt her aura spike and watched her form shift.

By the time she transformed, a black, winged dog was standing where Katina once stood. The dog had black fur cover its body with the exception of silver on its paws, tail tip and wing tips. Her eyes were still bright silver and her golden pendant hung from around her neck.

Once Katina was fully changed Ryo transformed into his smaller true form, and we were ready to go.

"Wow." Kagome said looking at the three of us standing side by side. "You guys look so cool. If you need us just let us know." She said and I heard Inuyasha grumble something about 'not wanting to help flying mutts'.

'We'll see you around.' I barked, even though I knew she couldn't understand me. 'Let's go you two.' I barked over my shoulder at Katina and Ryo before taking off into the forest.

'Hey wait!' I heard Katina whine, but I felt her and Ryo running just behind me keeping pace. 'Oh wow, I've never run like this before! It feels so nice and having you guys with me feels so natural!' Katina barked before giving a loud howl. Ryo joined in and I felt my instincts tug so I joined in as well.

She was right, this felt more natural than anything else I had felt before. Running through the forest, in my true form, with my pack mates, felt incredible.

**~Inuyasha~**

I shook my head as I heard a doggish howl echo back from the forest, knowing exactly where it was coming from.

I'd never admit it to anyone out loud but I was glad Kazuko was able to find more of her clan. She wasn't half bad for a full demon and I would always owe her for saving Kagome.

'_Stupid mutts.' _I thought with a grin as I heard their howls growing louder.

"Alright let's go. Those jewel shards aren't going to find themselves."

**~Shippo~**

It had been three days since Kazuko left and I was wondering what I should do. Sesshomaru said she'd return, but I got the feeling that even he wasn't sure if she would.

Since she'd left there had been a noticeable change.

Sesshomaru was spending most of his time trying to get something ready. He wouldn't allow anyone near his project unless they were helping directly and his temper had become shorter than before. I actually heard him yelling at a servant.

The lord Sesshomaru, Mr. Quiet and Indifferent, actually yelled at someone.

Rin tried to keep my mind off of Kazuko by taking me around the castle anytime we had free time, and by now I knew the whole place inside and out.

At the moment Rin was in one of her lessons so I had some time to myself. I usually spent this time wandering the outside of the castle.

I wasn't allowed outside of the gates, but I didn't mind. I was in the heart of a foreign land and staying here was the only protection I was going to get.

"It's three of them and they're not weak, get the general!" I heard a soldier yell as he rushed past where I was sitting.

Having nothing better to do I followed him to the front of the castle where some soldiers were already lined up.

"What is the cause of all this?" A bear demon, who I remembered to be the general of the western forces, asked coming from the castle.

"There are three demonic auras heading this way at a very fast pace." One of the soldiers reported.

"Has anyone alerted lord Sesshomaru?" The bear demon asked.

"Not yet, we were just…" The soldier was cut off by the general.

"There is no need to waste his time with something as trivial as this. We will dispatch of the intruders ourselves." The general said lifting his battle mace and leading a small group of soldiers out of the gate.

'_I wonder who would come charging here.' _I thought as I walked back to the castle.

Rin should be getting out of her lessons soon.

**~Kazuko~**

We were able to run for a day and night straight at the same high speed we had started at. Neither Katina nor Ryo had complained of fatigue so I hadn't seen a reason to stop.

While we ran we were able to catch each other up on pretty much everything. They told me what they had seen when the spell was breaking and I recounted to them the dreams I've had about the clan.

I wasn't a hundred percent where the castle was within the lands, but my instincts were guiding me and I trusted them.

'Someone's coming.' Ryo growled pulling up beside me. 'Should we stop? It smells like they're coming straight for us.'

'We'll slow down, but I don't want to stop and wait. If they're coming to attack, I'd rather we had some sort of momentum on our side.' I barked back as I withdrew my demon sprint to a regular run. Ryo and Katina followed my lead.

Sure enough, as Ryo said, a group of demons became visible heading directly towards us. They all bore military armor and had the crest of the western lands.

'_So they're Sesshomaru's soldiers.' _I thought as I came to a stop, seeing their weapons pointed straight at us.

"State your business on these lands." The lead soldier, a bear demon, said. Based on his scars, difference in armor, and commanding tone, I could guess that he was probably a sergeant or the general. After looking us over with a suspicious look he added, "State what you are as well."

'We are headed to the western castle to meet with the lord of it.' I barked. 'My kit is there.' I added. 'We are of the Ryu-Inu clan.'

"Impossible, there is said to only be one survivor of that clan." One of the soldiers blurted out but then fell silent by a glare from the bear demon.

"What he says is true, but I do recognize those pendants." The bear demon said thoughtfully. "Very well, we will take you to our lord. I cannot promise that will take you. If this proves to be a trap you will suffer a slow and painful death." He eyed us suspiciously, but at least he was willing to take us to the castle. "But to be escorted back I would ask that you transform."

'Ok, we will go by your terms.' I barked transforming back to my human form, and Katina and Ryo did the same.

"Kazuko, you have a kit?" Katina asked looking me over with a questioning gaze.

"I'll explain when we get there." I responded with a smile.

"It's not Sesshomaru's is it?" Ryo whispered and I growled low.

"As if I'd have anything with that dog." I replied back low enough so that the soldiers couldn't hear.

**~Sesshomaru~**

A swift two knocks were heard on my office door and I looked up from a set of scrolls I had been going over.

"Enter." I commanded before going back to the scrolls.

"My lord." The one who walked in said and offered a low bow. I looked up to see it was my general. "There are three here claiming to be of the Ryu-Inu clan and they wish to meet with you."

'_Three?'_ I thought. "Is one a female of violet hair and eyes?" I asked. When my general nodded my eyes narrowed. I could feel my demon stirring to life at the knowledge of the Ryu-Inu female's return, but I still skeptical about the other two. _'That's Kazuko, but who are the other two?'_

"Should I send them away?" I heard my general speak up after my moments of silence.

"No send them in and make sure that there are no disturbances." I ordered.

"As you wish." The general said before leaving the room.

A few minutes later he returned leading in the three he had mentioned. The first one to enter was definitely Kazuko, as her violet hair and eyes had haunted my thoughts, both dreaming and waking. Behind her trailed a male with silver hair and dark violet eyes, and a female with black hair and silver eyes.

"I present to you Kazuko, Katina and Ryo of the Ryu-Inu clan." My general stated before leaving with the door closing behind him.

I felt every instinct and urge push for me to go to Kazuko. Her scent gave that her heat was about to enter its challenging stage. But the glare she was shooting at me kept me in my seat, that and the other two standing behind her.

**She is upset.** My demon wined. **At us.**

'I am aware.' I inwardly growled.

"Lord Sesshomaru." Kazuko began curtly, her bow barely visible. "We wish to have lodgings until the council meeting and then we shall be out of your way." She stated, her tone was civil but the venom dripping was almost visible as she spoke.

"May I?" The male asked in Kazuko's direction then stepped forward at her nod. "I am Ryo, son of Ryu, general of the Ryu-Inu forces." He stated, and I thought it over. I remembered the general Ryu well; I had originally offered him position of general for my forces.

He had agreed until his brother was killed in battle. I vaguely remembered news of him having a son named Ryo.

"What is it?" I asked, guessing he had something he wished to ask or say. Whatever it was, I wished he would hurry so that I could attempt to be alone with Kazuko.

"My father's swords are said to be kept here, and I wish to inherit them." Ryo said, his eyes stayed level with mine earning a slight growl from me.

"You are bold for making such demands and not showing the proper respect." I replied.

"I serve Lady Kazuko and her only, Lord Sesshomaru. When our clan was destroyed we were no longer subjects of the west." He stated.

'_Insolent male, I should kill him where he stands.'_ I thought, and as if reading my thoughts, I saw Kazuko's claws twitch and her body seemed ready to strike.

I recalled my general had brought back a lot of things from the slaughtered clan, weapons among them.

"I will have my general take you to the weapons room, you may find them there." I said.

Upon hearing his name my general entered the study with a bow.

"Take the Ryu-Inus to the weapons room. They will be staying here until the council meeting, so have rooms prepared for them." I commanded.

"Of course milord." He said leading the three out.

"Wait." I said as they stopped. "I wish to speak with Lady Kazuko alone."

**~Kazuko~**

'_Just great more alone time with him. I've already seen where this leads.' _I thought, as a frown made its way onto my face.

Sensing my annoyance, Ryo leaned in to whisper to me. "You want us to stay?"

"I'll be fine, go get your heirlooms." I responded. "I can handle myself."

Both Ryo and Katina looked unsure but still followed the general out of the room. Once they were gone I closed the door and turned to face the western lord.

Now that no one was in the room, I had no reason to cover my emotions. I let my annoyance and anger radiate fully as I glared at Sesshomaru.

"What do you want?" I growled. I knew he didn't like being growled at but I also didn't like him, so it all worked out.

"I wish to extend to you an apology." He said and I narrowed my eyes.

"Are you saying you're sorry and that you were wrong?" I prodded.

"I am saying I apologize for previous actions." He stated.

"No! You don't get to just say 'I apologize' and think this is going to clear up just like that. It's not as if that could just erase everything that's happened in the past." I snarled, stepping closer as I did. "Do you know what you did to me? What I had to go through because of you?" I spat.

**In a way because of him we found our pack mates. **My inner demon stated.

'Shut up or so help me I will kill you.'

**That would be suicide.**

'Shut up!'

…

"So no, Sesshomaru, I do not accept your bullshit apology, because it is clear that you don't mean it. Just stay away from me until this council thing is over, and then I never want to see you again!" I growled before storming out of the room.

I picked up Shippo and Rin's scent and followed it, knowing that seeing the two of them would help my mood.

**~Sesshomaru~**

'_I never want to see you again!'_

My mind continued to replay her words and her storming out.

I couldn't tell what was happening to me exactly, but I could feel literal pains in my chest each time the image replayed.

Hearing those words had sent me into another emotional state I could only vaguely remember having experienced before. It was the feeling I'd had when my mother announced she was leaving when I was a young pup.

'_Sadness or grief.' _I thought as I sat in my office.

I hadn't moved from the spot since she'd left and as I looked out of the balcony I could see that the sun was setting.

I heard a light knock on my door and took in the scents from the other side of the door. It was my advisor, an aged fox demon named Izu.

"Enter Izu." I said.

"Lord Sesshomaru." The fox said giving a bow before coming over to my desk. "I have found the original mating agreement as you requested." He said placing an old scroll on my desk. It held the mark of the Ryu-Inu clan.

I looked down at the scroll with a blank expression. I had wanted the scroll as proof to show Kazuko my claim on her, but now the thing made me sick.

"You may dispose of it." I finally said after a few moments of silence.

"Excuse me, milord?" The fox said a bit surprised.

"I no longer have need for it." I stated.

"But Lord Sesshomaru, you must mate by the end of the season! Your lands will be stripped from you, if you do not." Izu seemed to be going into a panic.

"Then find a way around it!" I snapped.

"What troubles you?" The fox said calming down. "I sense a huge shift within you."

I did not respond, but instead continued to glare at the scroll before me. The fox fell quiet before he spoke.

"It is said that one called Kazuko wishes to mate the male Ryo." He said.

My body reacted before I could even process fully what he said. In a flash the desk I was behind was flipped across the room and I was at the door. Every instinct in my body called to find and kill the Ryu-Inu male. I could feel my eyes bleeding red, and my aura spiking.

"Calm yourself Lord Sesshomaru!" I heard the fox say with a light chuckle.

"What do you find so amusing fox?" I demanded.

"What I say is false, it was but a test." Izu stated as I turned to face him fully.

"You dare test this Sesshomaru!" I snarled.

"You have been acting very strange as of lately. I've had my suspicions on the reason but I needed to confirm them." He said talking carefully so not to anger me further. "I do believe you have bonded with the Ryu-Inu female, Kazuko."

"Bonded." I said softly as I returned to normal.

I remember a lesson in mating that spoke of bonding. It was an act of one's self, both regular and beast, attaching to another. It was the demon equivalent of what humans called 'falling in love', but it was much more dangerous if interrupted. Those that bonded were much more possessive and would do whatever necessary to keep away anyone who wished to bring harm to the one they'd bonded to.

"Yes, milord, bonded. It is evident in your attitude and even your scent." The fox said. "If I may offer some advice; I would not leave a female upset, for it only leads to her hatred of you growing. It may seem unwise, but I would go to her and try to make this right. Do this or you run the risk of losing her for good. Also when her challenging period hits, do you really want her to still be mad at you?" He said with a sly smile and left.

Even though everything the fox had said was right, I couldn't bring myself to fully accept it.

**We have bonded to her. **My demon purred and I sighed.

The fox was right, if I was going to make this right, I should do it soon.

**~Kazuko~**

"We're so glad that you're back." Rin was jumping with excitement as I sat in the room that had been given to me.

Ryo, Katina, Rin and Shippo were all in the room as well. We had come back to the room after eating to talk for a bit.

"Yea, I was really worried when you took off." Shippo said from where he was sitting in my lap.

"Sorry about that. Some things came up, I promise next time I'll take you with me." I said with a small smile.

Seeing the two children had helped my mood, but I could still feel some anger left. Ryo and Katina sat side by side as we talked.

"It's so cool that you found more demons like you." Rin stated and Shippo nodded in agreement.

"You're just the sweetest little girl I've ever met." Katina said from where she was swooning over Rin.

"What's the matter Ryo, wishing you were getting that much attention?" I teased, seeing him looking at Rin with an almost envious look.

"What?" He blurted out before turning away to hide his blush.

I gave a wink to Katina who smiled and shook her head.

"Ok you two I think it's time for you to go to bed." I said to Rin and Shippo seeing that it was already dark.

"Aww, ok." Shippo said as the two left the room to go to their own rooms.

"I'm going to turn in too. It's not that I'm extremely tired, but we did run all night so I feel kind of compelled to sleep." Katina said standing and following the children out.

"So what did he do?" Ryo brought up when it was only the two of us left in the room.

"Who?" I asked, though I could guess who he meant.

"Sesshomaru." He stated with narrowed eyes.

"Oh him." I said rolling my eyes and recounting what happened.

"I should kill him." Ryo snarled when I'd finished.

"Yea then you'd be charged with treason and killed. I would prefer not to lose you so soon after finding you. Plus Katina would be destroyed if something happens to you." I said with a sigh and shrug.

"You think so?" He asked sounding hopeful.

"Please, she likes you, even someone as dense as Inuyasha can see it." I replied with a giggle.

"She's really special isn't she?" He said with a smile.

"You should tell her that, not me." I said standing up. "While you go do that, I'm going to go for a walk."

"Ok, but if you run into trouble you know where to find me." He said as we exited the room and took off in separate directions.

Thankfully I had been able to have a change in clothing; the fall air was cool as I entered the gardens. I now wore a simple white sleeping kimono, that was, thankfully, not see-through. I left my weapon in the room, figuring if anything should happen my abilities would be fine without the staff.

I looked over the flowers trying to fight the cold and their impending deaths from fall's arrival. Feeling bad for the poor flowers I released a small heat wave over the gardens and shifted the dirt so that the warmer dirt was on top.

"You are only prolonging what is inevitable." I sighed as I heard the voice coming up behind me.

"What is it that you want Lord Sesshomaru?" I said turning to face the western lord.

His armor and weapons were absent from his person as he stopped forward. I tried not to notice, but his upper body was bare. He almost looked approachable in the way his indecision was clearly showing on his face.

"I have come to offer my apologies…" He started softly and I cut him off.

"I'm not going to listen to this again. I've already told you this." I said turning and preparing to leave.

"What I did was wrong and I am sorry." He said a bit louder and I felt my eyes widen before I turned to face him again.


	19. The First Is The Worst

**~The First Is The Worst~**

"_What I did was wrong and I am sorry." He said a bit louder and I felt my eyes widen before I turned to face him again._

"What?" I asked turning back to face the western lord.

"What I did was wrong and I am sorry." He repeated, his eyes searching me for a response.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously. It wasn't like Sesshomaru to fully apologize for something like this.

"My behavior was unacceptable and I wish to apologize for it." He stated and I rolled my eyes with a light giggle. He was basically repeating himself.

'_Maybe he's broken.' _I thought with a small smile.

"Well if you truly mean it, then I guess I can accept your apology." I said.

His eyes narrowed in thought as he looked at me.

"If that is all, I will take my leave." I said heading past him back into the castle.

When I was beside him, his arm reached out to grasp mine. I looked down at the arm then up to him with a confused look. His golden eyes held an intensity to them I'd never seen from Sesshomaru before.

"Please allow me to make up for my actions." He said.

"How?" I asked, gently pulling my arm from his.

"I have something to show you." He said and, when I nodded, led the way into the castle.

Instead of the third floor, he led me to the second floor where the other guess rooms had been. We passed all the rooms that were occupied by Rin, Shippo, Ryo and Katina. At the very end of the hallway there were two doors.

We entered the one on the right and I stopped to look around the room.

It was done in a soft violet, almost identical to my eyes with silver trimmings. A cot with a pile of furs could be seen. I could see my staff against a wall and turned to question Sesshomaru.

"This is more suitable for you." He said not making eye contact.

"Thank you, you really didn't have to." I said.

"Hn." He responded before turning and entering the room across from mine.

'_That must be his room.' _I thought going over to the cot and sitting on the furs. They were soft as I lay down to stare at the ceiling. _'What's gotten into Sesshomaru?' _I thought.

In a matter of minutes I fell asleep trying to figure out the western lord.

**~Sesshomaru~**

Sleep eluded me.

It wasn't the lack of sleep that bothered me, as I did not need much of it; it was the reason behind it that bothered me.

The one who had been haunting my thoughts was now across a hallway from me, her scent taunting me.

At some point close to midnight I was assaulted by an overwhelming wash of her heat scent and my eyes shut tight.

'_Her challenging period has started.'_ I thought with an inward groan.

Most other demoness' during their challenging periods simply compelled unmated males to fight each other for the right to mate.

Inus were different.

The dog demoness was compelled to challenge the strongest, unmated, male she could find. The challenging only lasted a few hours, and was quickly followed by the mating period, but it was a dangerous time.

Even if I could somehow get through the challenging period without destroying the castle; the mating period was a challenge even I wasn't sure I could hold back from.

As much as I hated to admit it, for the time being, the best option was to get out of the castle at least until her challenging period passed. It would lure her away so that no one was hurt in the process.

I was at the balcony when the door opened revealing Kazuko. Her eyes were a bright violet and rimmed in red.

"You." She said her eyes landing on me with a devious smirk.

I didn't bother to say anything as I jumped from the balcony, knowing she would follow.

As expected she followed into the forest surrounding the castle which worked to my advantage. I knew the area better than she did, and my scent was already throughout the forest. It served as the perfect diversion as she had to pause to sort through the scents to find the freshest one.

I watched her from the top of a still living oak tree, masking my scent.

Finally she seemed to get frustrated before she stared directly towards where I was hidden.

'_Impossible, she couldn't have found me that quick.' _I thought as she disappeared from sight.

I squinted to see if she was hiding and felt a force slam into my back. I landed on my feet and turned to face my attacker.

Standing where I had been a few seconds earlier was Kazuko. She had the same smirk on her face as she leapt at me again. I was prepared this time and managed to grab her arm and use the momentum to throw her past me.

She countered quickly; firmly planting her feet on the tree she had been thrown towards and bounded off back at me. I could see her claws gleaming in the moonlight as her intent to not hold back was clear.

I went to grab her wrist again, but she was ready.

As I grabbed her wrist her left leg came up and caught me in the shoulder. I slid a bit and released her wrist in the process. She flipped out of my reach and landed on the tree branch she had originally been on.

It was hard keeping my demon reeled in during this. If I allowed myself to fight, one or both of us could end up dead.

There was a reason Inus were so rare, and most of it was due to the intensity of the challenging period.

"What's wrong, is the puppy too afraid to fight?" She taunted and I gave a low snarl. "You have a lot of bark, but it appears you have no bite." She said coming for me again.

I braced myself as she launched herself at me again, this time I allowed her to come straight for me. When she was close enough I side stepped so that she went past me. Her claws caught me on the side, but the cuts were shallow. I used my whip to wrap around her ankle and slammed her to the ground.

As she fell, the ground around her softened before she made impact, rendering my attack ineffective. Before I could pull my whip back, I felt a bolt of lightning run up it and shock me. I gritted my teeth from the pain and jerked my whip away.

My intentions had been to simply keep her at bay until the challenging period ended, but it appeared that a true fight may be unavoidable.

I watched her stand and prepare to launch my way again. I made a move to step back but looked down when I was unable to move. She had wrapped the dirt around my lower legs to prevent movement.

"Well look what we have here. You seem to be stuck in a rut, literally." She said with a chuckle and charged me again.

I let her reach me and strike a slash across my chest, before I grabbed her wrist. An idea came to mind, and though I was unsure if it would be successful, it was the best I had to go off of. This time I punctured the skin and allowed some poison to seep in. It wasn't enough to kill, but it should knock her out long enough for her challenging period to pass.

She pulled back with a snarl and glared at me.

Her steps were wobbly as she came at me again, this time stopping a few inches away from me. As the poison kicked in she fainted coming forward. With a significant amount of effort I was able to break through the dirt that bound me and catch her before she fell completely.

'_That could have ended worse.' _I thought as I picked her up bridal style and carried her back to the castle.

On arriving my healers were already waiting.

"We smelled the change in scent and figured we would be needed soon." They said and I nodded. I watched as they tended to Kazuko, denying any treatment for myself.

Once the healers had finished their work I took her up to the room I had prepared for her. Not wanting to risk her waking up and starting this all over again, staying in the room was a wise decision. As I tried to put her down, her grip on my mokomoko prevented me from doing so. Signing I sat on the cot and leaned against the wall. She seemed fine as she curled into my mokomoko with her back facing me.

It was a long night, made longer as I was very much so aware of her scent changing to signal her transition from challenging period to mating period.

**~Kazuko~**

'_So soft.' _I thought curling tighter into whatever I was snuggling up to. The sun hitting me in the eyes made me open them slightly. _'What the hell?'_ I thought sitting up after seeing the white fluff that I had been holding. Even though I knew where it came from by the scent I followed it to be sure, and sure enough I followed it back to Sesshomaru who was lying beside me in the cot, in the room I had gone to sleep in.

With his eyes closed and his facial muscles relaxed, he looked so calm. I hesitantly reached out to trace one of his facial markings, but was surprised when his hand shot up to grasp my wrist.

"You're awake." He said, sitting up. I turned to hide my own blush as his bare chest was revealed and nodded.

"What are you doing here?" I asked still looking away.

"Preventing you from causing harm." He said standing up.

"Harm…" I echoed as I tried to remember what may have happened last night. I got hazy images of me leaving my room and attacking Sesshomaru. "I'm really sorry; I don't know what happened to me last night." I said.

"Hn." He said as he left the room. I could have sworn he was making a conscious effort not to breathe.

When Sesshomaru had fully exited the room I went to the dresser at the opposite end of the room hoping that there were suitable clothes in it. Luckily I was able to find some and grabbed them. Stepping out into the hall I stopped one of the passing maids.

"Where is the guest bathing house?" I asked.

"Just outside to the left of the gardens." The maid said with a slight bow.

"Thank you." I said and headed towards the bathing house. I wasn't sure how long it had been since I had bathe, but I knew it had been too long.

When I arrived at the bathing house I was greeted by Katina, Rin and Shippo.

"Hey Kazuko, come join us." Katina said waving my way.

I slid the door closed behind me and nodded.

"We were going to come ask you to join us, but Katina said you were busy." Rin said and I looked towards Katina with a questioning look.

"I walked into your room and I could see that you were **very** busy." She said with a wink and I blushed slightly.

"Trust me it's not what you think." I said stripping from the night kimono and slipping into the water. The warm water felt wonderful compared to the chill from the fall air.

"That's what they always say." Katina joked and I splashed her. "So what are the plans for today?"

"I'm not sure. Until the council gets here, I can't think of anything to do. I suppose we could train." I said, having not thought about what to do in the week and a half until the council arrived.

"The council usually starts arriving about two to three days early, so we have a week." Katina said. "Ryo told me that the Ryu-Okami clan is to train us. The leader of their clan should arrive with the Northern Lord, so we can talk to them when they arrive."

"That sounds good to me. Until then, we need to get you a weapon of some sort." I said thoughtfully.

"No need." Katina said and continued. "I found some daggers that were used by the mages of our clan. They say mages mostly rely on their elements and spells to fight. They're not really good at hand-to-hand, but their spells are really effective at weakening their opponents."

"So you're going to take the path of a mage?" I asked with a small smile.

"Yes. My family has always been mages and I know it's the right path for me. Plus there are two types of mages: battle and healing. I don't like fighting, so learning the ways of a healing mage sounds right for me." Katina stated with a smile of her own.

"I'm glad you were able to figure that out." I said ducking under the water to rinse my hair.

We finished the rest of our bathing with idle chatter before getting out. I dressed in the clothing I had taken from the room. It consisted of a pair of black tights that came down to just below my knees, a black shirt that fight perfectly against my skin. Over those, I wore a silver, sleeve-less kimono that had a golden crescent moon on the left shoulder and a slit up right side.

Katina looked much better now that she wasn't wearing the tattered clothing of a servant. Now she wore tights similar to mine that were pink, and a kimono that was blue with rose petals around the bottom hem.

"I had wondered where the four of you had gotten." We looked up to see Ryo coming our way. He wore a pair of black bottoms like Inuyasha's and a red sleeveless top.

"Just taking a bath." Katina said as she smiled his way.

"Where have you been?" I asked.

"Just trying to get these to work." He said lifting up the swords he'd inherited from his father.

"How's that going?" Katina asked looking at the swords.

"Not good. I remember as a pup they would work every time my father simply touched them." Ryo said putting his swords back in their sheaths he had around his waist.

"Kazuko and I were just talking about doing some training." Katina said.

"Maybe you would like to join us?" I added.

"Sure, it's better than doing nothing." Ryo said with a shrug.

"Can I join too? I haven't gotten to do any training since you left." Shippo stated from my shoulder and I nodded.

"Miss Rin, it is time for your lessons." One of Sesshomaru's human servants called as he came up to us.

"We'll see you around Rin." I said watching the little girl get taken back inside. "Shippo, do you know anywhere we can train?" I asked the kit.

"The soldiers use a training area near the west wall, but they don't let anyone else go over." He said with a shrug.

"I remember a clearing not too far from here; we passed it on the way here." Ryo said leading the way to the gate. "I bet we could use that."

"Sounds good to me, what about you Kazuko?" Katina said looking over at me.

"Same here." I responded.

As we approached the main gate a pair of soldiers stopped up; one a lizard demon and the other a type of bird demon.

"We've been given specific orders to not let you leave until after the council meets." One of the soldiers said, holding his weapon towards us.

Both guards seemed young, in demon terms, and both were a bit shaky as they eyed us. Seeing their uneasiness, I decided to play a bit to their inexperience.

"Watch this." I whispered to Ryo and Katina, and then turned back to the young soldiers. "You dare try to stop the surviving Ryu-Inu clan members? Do you know what we've done to survive? We've killed demons much stronger and older than you with a swift cut to the throat. We've castrated the strongest of males and destroyed infants still in their mother's wombs. Do you truly want to stand in our way?" I growled, letting a menacing snarl build in my throat.

Both soldiers went pale before taking off back towards the castle, yelling for us to spare them.

As we watched them run, I couldn't hold it anymore and burst into laughter. Katina and Shippo were soon cracking up too, and after a few moments of trying to hold it in, Ryo joined in.

We were brought out of our laughing fits by someone clearing their throat loudly. We turned to see Sesshomaru, the bear demon general, and the two young soldiers.

"These are the ones?" The bear demon asked eyeing us.

"Yes it was the female with the fox kit on her shoulder." The lizard demon said.

"I'll take it from here." Sesshomaru said dismissing the other three. Once the other three were out of sight he turned back to us. "'Castrated the strongest of males and destroyed infants still in their mother's womb'?" He repeated my line, the question obvious in his voice and raised eyebrow.

"Just testing the young recruits to see if they're good. You may want to train them a bit more if they run screaming like that from a few words." I said with my hands behind my back trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Where did you think you were going?" He asked seeming to ignore my comment.

"Out to train." I said with a shrug. "It beats sitting around doing nothing. Don't worry, once the guests start arriving we'll stay on the castle grounds."

"Carry on." He said before turning away and heading back to the castle.

"He seemed more tense than usual." Shippo commented absently as we turned and walked out of the gate.

As Ryo had stated there was a decent sized clearing with a river not too far from it.

"I found these scrolls in the weapon's room as well. They're supposed to be the scrolls the mages learned from. I'm going to study them and see if I can do some of the spells." Katina said going over to a fallen tree and sitting on it.

"Then how about some hand-to-hand Kazuko?" Ryo asked, lifting his twin blades. "This way we can get some basic training down, and the kit can watch and learn."

"Works for me." I said grasping my staff. "Just this once, I'll go easy on you and not use any of my elements." I added with a smirk.

Shippo went over to join Katina on the tree, but instead of looking at the scrolls his eyes were focused on us.

"Fine, but other than that don't hold back." Ryo said.

"I was about to say the same to you." I responded.

Ryo immediately charged, his swords making an 'X'. As he reached me he sliced each sword out. I used my staff as a steadying point to swing out of the way and bring my knee to his side.

Our sparing lasted a few hours and once the sun began to set we called it quits.

"Not bad for your first time." I commented as the four of us headed back for the western castle.

"Back at the eastern castle, I used to secretly watch the soldiers train and try some of it out when no one was looking." Ryo said with a shrug. "What about you kit? You learn anything." He said gazing back at Shippo who was now seated on Katina's shoulder.

"You like to constantly attack, making your opponent have no choice but to stay on defense. It's a good strategy except for when fighting Kazuko. Kazuko likes to stay on defense and counter attacks." Shippo concluded with a nod.

"He's quick." Ryo said with approval.

"Yea, with proper training I think he'll turn into a fine warrior." I said with a hint of pride.

"Halt." One of the soldiers guarding the gate said.

"Do we really have to go through this again?" Katina said with a sigh.

As the soldiers squinted in the coming darkness, recognition passed over their face.

"Oh you're the Ryu-Inus." The other soldier said and we nodded. "Go ahead."

"You think they'd recognize us by scent or something." I said rolling my eyes.

"You're back!" We turned to see Rin running from the gardens. "I got out of my lessons early because some dragon wolf demon came to see Sesshomaru and he even asked for you three." She said pointing to Ryo, Katina and me.

"A dragon wolf?" Katina questioned.

"Yea, he said he was the general of the northern army." Rin stated. "I think he's with Sesshomaru in his study."

"Hey Shippo you stay with Rin, we're going to go see about this mystery demon." I said and Shippo nodded before heading off with Rin to play tag.

"Remember my father said that the Ryu-Okami of the north was going to help us." Ryo said as we headed into the castle.

"Yea but weren't they supposed to meet us at the remains of the village?" I questioned.

"Maybe words reached them somehow about us breaking the spells early." Katina suggested.

"Perhaps…" I mumbled as we reached the door to Sesshomaru's door. I gave a light knock.

"Enter." We heard Sesshomaru state from the other side of the door.

We opened the door to see Sesshomaru sitting behind his desk and another demon sitting with his back towards us.

From what I could tell he definitely smelled of wolf with a mix of something else. His hair was red with a few black stripes in it. As he turned to see who'd walked in, I could see his green eyes and a blue star on his left cheek. He wore traditional wolf fur clothing only his were golden in color.

"Ah so the rumors are true." The mystery demon said standing and coming to greet us. "I am Koru of the Ryu-Okami clan, general of the northern forces." He said with slight bow.

"I'm Kazuko and they are Katina and Ryo. We are of the Ryu-Inu clan." I said returning the bow.

"I had heard that you'd somehow broken the spell early and wanted to meet with you." Koru said as he turned back to Sesshomaru. "If it is ok with you lord Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru didn't speak but he gave the slightest of nods.

"First I wish to give the princess this." Koru said pulling a small pendant from his sleeve. It was identical to the one I already had only it was red in color.

"Um thanks, but I already have one." I said gesturing to the one around my neck.

"Indeed, but this one is special." He said with a smile.

"How so?" I asked looking the pendant over.

"That you'll have to find out for yourself." He said with a chuckle. "Anyway let's get to business." He said taking a seat and motioning for us to do the same. As we did Sesshomaru exited the room.

"You're here to train us right?" Ryo asked.

"Not exactly. I will train Kazuko since she is a Shogakko, and the two of you will have other trainers." Koru said.

"How can you train me? I've been trained by the spirits of our ancestors." I stated.

"That may be but even your ancestors cannot show you the secrets of a Shogakko's powers. Only another Shogakko can show you. These secrets are passed down and kept away from all but those who possess the ability to harness all five base elements." Koru said.

"And how would you know all of this?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because, like you, I am a Shogakko." Koru said with a laugh. My eyes widened and I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"So where are the others who are going to help us train?" Katina spoke up seeing me speechless.

"They are back in the Ryu-Okami village, in the north. The original agreement had been that I would take you three back to the village so that you could train and learn the ways of the Ryu." Koru answered. "If everything goes according to plan, we'll set out for the village as soon as the council meeting is over."

"Won't the clan be a bit hostile?" Ryo pointed out. "I've heard dog demons and wolf demons don't really get along that well. Dogs think that wolves are primitive and wolves think dogs are pampered."

"Not at all, we decided as a clan to agree to this. If anyone had had a problem with it, we wouldn't have agreed. It is true that there is a bit of hostility between Inu and Okami, but the Ryu clans are a bit of an exception." Koru seemed pleasant enough.

"We have a fox kit, which is a part of our clan. Is he welcome to come?" I asked.

"The lord of the north is Lord Di. He is known as king of the foxes. I'm sure your fox kit will be welcomed." Koru answered.

"Is there anything else we should know?" I asked after a moment of thought.

"The pendant I gave you is a guide. I suggest you follow it soon." Koru said before getting up and leaving.

"What does that mean?" Katina asked and I and Ryu shrugged.

"I'm hungry." Ryo said as he got up and left the room.

"I could eat." I said as Katina and I followed out of the room.

"Me too." Katina said with a smile.

**~Sesshomaru~**

"Problem lord Sesshomaru?" The old fox, Izu, asked as he watched me train. I could see the smirk on his face even though I wasn't facing him. I could hear it in his voice; it was the same damn smirk he had been wearing all day.

"No." I replied before attacking the wooden post again.

"Then why is it that you are doing something as trivial as training with a wooden post. I do believe that you once said it was for younger and weaker demons only." The fox was testing my patience.

"Why are you here?" I growled taking a sideways glance towards the fox.

"Just checking on you." He replied with a chuckle. "It's getting dark, and we all know what sort of things can happen in the dark."

"Hn." I said sheathing my sword before heading back for the castle.

"Be careful my lord." The fox called as I entered the castle. "The first night is always the worst." I could hear his stupid chuckle ringing in my ears even as I entered my private quarters.

'_Damn fox underestimating my resolve.' _I thought changing from my usual clothing and armor, which were now soiled from training outside. I went with a pair of black hakama pants and nothing else.

Going to sleep was again out of the question.

While I was almost certain my beast would not attempt a forceful mating, now that it was bonded, it still wasn't a chance I was willing to risk. The best option for the time being was meditation. I could get some peace and rest without allowing my consciousness to slip.

Despite the meditation, I was painfully aware of Kazuko returning to her room.

"So what are you going to do about the pendant?" The male Ryu-Inu spoke.

"I'll ask the spirit trainers about the pendant tonight. Maybe tomorrow we can see where this thing leads." I heard Kazuko responded.

"Shippo seemed excited enough to come with us to the north. I think he liked the thought of being with other foxes." The one named Katina said.

'_Going north?'_ I thought in question. What reason could they have for going north?

"Don't you think you should tell Sesshomaru that you're leaving?" Katina commented. "Who knows how long this training could take. We could be gone for years."

"I don't see why you have to tell him anything." I could hear annoyance in Ryo's voice.

"You're both right." Kazuko started with a sigh. "I don't **have** to tell him, but it would be the proper thing to do. Katina's right, we could be gone for years; but I would like to eventually come back here and try to rebuild our village."

"I still don't see why we can't just wait until after we train to tell him." Ryo's mumble didn't go unnoticed.

"Goodnight Ryo." Kazuko said with a giggle.

"See you in the morning." Katina said and I could hear her enter her own room.

"Yea, yea, night." Ryo grumbled and his footsteps lead into his room.

I listened as Kazuko's footsteps continued down the hall. Her footsteps stopped as her door slid open, but sshe didn't go in. Instead I heard her footsteps turn before I heard a slight tap at my own door.

'_What could she want?'_ I thought opening my eyes and breaking my meditation. "Enter."

**~Kazuko~**

"Enter." Sesshomaru's voice almost sounded tired as I slid the door open.

Unlike last night I was clear headed and able to take in the sights of the room. It was done in dark red with yellow and silver accents. His cot had a pile of black and silver fur.

"Hey I just want to talk to you about some things the northern general told us." I said standing in the doorway. He gave a slight nod and I took that as permission to keep going. "We're going with him to the north to train, in the Ryo-Okami village. The Ryu-Okami clan has already made a pact with our former clan for this to happen. We'd like to come back and rebuild the village after we've finished training."

A low rumbled seemed to tease my ear, it was so low that I almost didn't pick it up. Once I realized the sound wasn't my imagination I sought to figure out where the sound came from.

Seeing as there was only one other being in the room I turned attention to Sesshomaru, and sure enough the sound was coming from him. I could see his jaw was a bit clenched and I could guess he was trying to hold in the growl that I could hear.

"Do as you wish." He said and I inwardly sighed. Again it seemed as if he was making an effort not to breathe around me.

"Koru also gave me this pendant and said it was a sort of guide. I was wondering if you knew anything about it." I said holding up the pendant.

The western lord finally lifted his gaze to the pendant in my hand. He placed his right palm out slightly towards me and I took that as him saying to let him see. I crossed the room and sat across from him. I gave him the pendant while still taking in the room.

"It's a guardian's pendant." He's said looking it over. "They are creatures who lived side by side with the Ryu-Inus. There is a shrine for them, but no one knows where it is. It is a secret that was heavily guarded by the Ryu-Inu clan."

"Hmm, thanks. I guess this will guide us to the shrine. I don't see what help a shrine will be since they were all wiped out, but…" I trailed off as he handed back the pendant our hands brushed against each other's. Everything else that night was a blur.

**~Kazuko~**

Rays of sunlight hit my eyes stirring me awake. I was lying under something extremely soft and on top of something solid. It wasn't hard but neither was it soft. It was fleshy like a body.

Wait… it was a body.

For the second day in a row my eyes opened slightly to see the western lord lying in the same cot as mine.

But this time was different.

For one he was under me instead of beside like he had been yesterday. Secondly I was fairly sure, from feel, that neither of us had clothes. As I looked around, I could make out the ripped remains of what we had been wearing the previous day. And finally I felt sore in a way that I remember my sex-ed teacher explaining would happen when one experienced what she called 'that special time with someone'.

My eyes widened to the point that they felt they were going to pop out of my head.

I looked up at the still asleep dog demon and noticed a yellow and violet dragon-dog sitting on his neck just above two puncture wounds that would have had to be made by fangs.

I felt my neck stinging slightly. Gasping, I summoned a sphere of water to act as a mirror. On my neck I could see a silver dog above two puncture marks.

I dismissed the water as the previous night rushed back to me.

**We have a mate.** My demon purred as it also came awake.

I couldn't think of anything to say as my mind reeled with the realization.

'…'


	20. Complications

**Howdy! Hope everyone has either had, or is having a good spring break. **

**Due to the unfortunate passing of both my father and my mother's mother (my grandmother) being so recent, I spent mine with my mother. So sorry that I wasn't able to get this chapter posted earlier.**

**A question was brought up and so I wanted to let you guys know, unless otherwise stated, the chapters start off in Kazuko's pov.**

**This chapter is a bit shorter, but that's because I had to stop it where I did. If I didn't, you guys would have a thirty page chapter to read and that is a bit too much. So I'm posting this chapter, and will get the next one out fairly soon. **

**And thank you for all the reviews! 8 reviews for one chapter is a new record! Let's break the record again this chapter. This story has gotten up to 50 reviews! You guys are so great for reading and brownie points for reviewing.**

**Will I get the next chapter out sooner if I get more reviews? Maybe. _ Remember though, I'm not going to hold chapters hostage. As I've said, I get the chapters out as soon as I can (reviews or not). It's just that seeing all the reviews make me want to work that much harder to get them to you quicker.  
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**I think that's all I have to say for now, so I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

**Enjoy! ^^  
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><p><strong>~Complications~<strong>

This was…

I…

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think of anything to say or even think on the previous night's events.

My demon was ecstatic and I was…

I could figure out my feelings later, for now I needed to get out before Sesshomaru woke up. I knew I couldn't face him just yet, not before I was able to sort out my head.

'_Definitely easier said than done.' _I thought making an attempt to get up, only to be stopped by two very strong arms tightening around my waist.

After a few minutes and of a lot of prying I was able to get out of his grip and was free to leave, or so I thought until a hand grasped my tail and pulled slightly. I bit down a yelp and turned around to see two orbs of red-rimmed, gold staring at me.

Unable to think of anything to say I gently tugged my tail to see if he would let go.

He didn't.

The question was clear on his face. He looked hazy, his eyes having a cloudy look to them. His eyes drifted from mine and down my neck, to what I assumed to be the new mark on my neck.

What could I say to him? Oh hey! Look I hope you didn't get any ideas about last night, it was simply physical.

There were two reasons why I couldn't go with that dialogue.

The first reason was that I in no way wanted to offend or upset him. The second reason being that I wasn't sure that it was purely physical.

Plus there were the new markings, and I was pretty sure that they were not just oddly-shaped hickeys.

"I'm going to bathe." I finally said, bringing his eyes back up to meet mine. He nodded slightly and released my tail and I quickly left the room. I was thankful that my room was across from his so I didn't have to worry about running into anyone else.

I loosely put on the white sleeping kimono for some coverage, grabbed a new set of clothing and headed for the bath house. I deliberately picked clothing that covered the mark on my neck. I didn't need the questions.

As I walked to the bath house I got a look at the sun's position and realized that it was almost midday.

When I arrived, there was no one in the room and I quickly stripped and slipped into the water. Unlike yesterday, the warm waters did not provide relief; instead it gave me cloudy pictures of last night.

With no one to talk to and a desire to get out of the heated water, I was able to bathe and dress much faster than yesterday.

Once I was fully dressed I picked up Shippo, Ryo, and Kazuko's scent trail, thankful that it appeared they went to the same training area from yesterday.

I still had no idea of what to say about last night, and preferred to put it off for as long as possible.

"Hey sleepy head, about time you showed." Katina said looking up from her scrolls as I entered the clearing. The grin on her face couldn't have been any wider.

"I'm here now." I grumbled. "So what have you three been up to?"

"You smell different." Ryo said coming towards me. He stopped as I growled a warning towards him. "Calm down I didn't mean it like you stink or anything. Anyway, Katina is going over those scrolls she found and I figured I would see if Shippo's blood was strong enough for him to have a true form."

"Well?" I asked.

"Take a look for yourself." Ryo said and pointed behind me.

I turned and looked down with a light gasp. A tan fox, with an orange stripe from head to tail stood before me. He was just a about a foot shorter than I was in my smaller true form. His usual green eyes were now a glowing red.

"Wow, he's huge for his age." I said.

"Not really, he's about the right size. Don't think of him in comparison to your smaller true form. Compare him to your larger true form. I remember my father saying only Ryus had the ability to go between the two sizes. Every other demon strong enough to transform only has one size." Ryo said coming to stand beside me.

"Got it." I said smiling at the fox. "Great job Shippo." I placed a hand on top of his head.

'Thanks.' He yipped.

"You want to get some training in?" Ryo asked and I shook my head.

"I figured we would search for the guardian shrine." I said. "I got information that this is a guardian's pendant. Maybe there are some more things for us hidden there."

"How are we going to find it?" Katina asked from where she had suddenly appeared beside us. I looked around for a moment, trying to figure out how she'd gotten over without being noticed. Eventually I shrugged it off.

"I think I had a dream last night about it. From what I remember, I put on the pendant and it should guide me." I said.

"It appears the dream isn't the only thing you had." Katina said giving me a slight nudge and smirking.

"What?" Ryo asked his expression clueless.

"Nothing." I growled, glaring at Katina. "Let's just go so we can find this before night fall." I said putting on the pendant and transforming to my smaller form, Katina and Ryo following suit.

'Feel anything?' Ryo barked in question.

'No…wait…I think I got it.' I growled as I began to feel an internal pull south. 'Let's go!' I barked and began running towards the feeling. I could hear Ryo, Katina and Shippo hard on my paws.

**~Sesshomaru~**

I could feel her presence getting further away.

As much as I wanted to chase after her, there were other things I had do first.

First and most importantly was telling the Ryu-Okami general that Kazuko would not be going north.

I found him overseeing the training of my soldiers and chatting with my general. The west and north had always been on good terms since my father had ruled, so his presence on the training grounds was not threatening.

"General Koru." I stated getting both generals' attention.

"Ah, Lord Sesshomaru, you have a fine army in training." Koru said with a bow.

"There are things to be discussed." I said getting to the point.

"Hmm, well then how may I be of service?" He said following as I began to walk back into the castle and to my study.

I kept silent until we were in the privacy of the study.

"You intend to take the Ryo-Inus north." I stated and watched as he gave a slight nod. "You may take the two, but Kazuko will be remaining here."

"Kazuko has said she doesn't wish to go?" The Ryu-Okami asked with a surprised and confused look.

"I am forbidding it." I said with narrowed eyes.

"You can't do that." The general responded almost lazily.

"As lord of the western lands, I can." I growled.

"With all due respect lord Sesshomaru, you cannot do that. You know as well as everyone else, than when the Ryu-Inu Clan was destroyed they ceased to be subjects of your lands. They became extinct, which removes them from servitude to anyone, and now that survivors have surfaced they are considered a rouge clan. Thus the choice is not up to you, but to them, should they choose to become subjects of the west again." The wolf said and I felt my eyes beginning to bleed red.

"Are you questioning my authority?" I snapped.

"No, simply reminding you where your authority ends." The Ryu-Okami said with a stern expression that softened into a smirk. "Besides, I have a hunch that even if you were in authority to forbid it; I doubt Kazuko would obey so easily." He said with a chuckle before dismissing himself.

I glared at the door that he left through, my claws digging deep into the oak that made up my desk. He was right about both things. I didn't have any rights by law to forbid the training, nor did I think Kazuko would easily fold to my demand.

**You can't let mate go.** My inner demon growled.

'I know.' I thought in frustration, trying to come up with a solution. I had assumed a mating would make things simpler, but it would appear they just became more complicated.

**~Kazuko~**

'Are you sure you know where we're going? It seems like we're running in circles.' Ryo whined for the tenth time. We had been running for about two hours and had yet to find the shrine or any clues to its location.

'Yes, and I swear if you ask again I'm going to beat you.' I growled back. Shippo and Katina could be heard giving short barks of laughter.

'Wow Kazuko, I heard after the kind of night you had, you're supposed to be in a better mood not a worse one.' Katina barked at me, and jumped to the side as I bucked and aimed my hind paws for her. She continued laughing as we ran and I shook my head to get the sound out of my head.

'Wait, slow down.' I barked slowing to a trot. The pendant's pull was becoming stronger, and I could feel that we were close. I looked around as the pull seemed to be coming from everywhere now, instead of a specific direction. 'It's somewhere close. Spread out and look for anything that might be a clue.' I barked.

We spread out and began searching around the area. We were in a thick forest, at the base of a mountain range. I could scent a river about a mile east.

'I think I found something.' I turned as I heard Shippo's yip and headed towards his voice. I found him standing at the mountain base sniffing along the stone. 'See this paw print.' He said and I squinted to see.

On the rock was a large paw print that had a barely visible Ryu-Inu clan symbol in it. It looked worn and eroded by time, but it was still clear enough to see on the rock.

'_So it's around here somewhere, but where exactly.' _I thought scratching around the rocks at the bottom of the mountain.

"You find it?" Katina asked as her and Ryo came over in their human forms.

"Not exactly, but we found a clue." I said changing back, followed by Shippo. "I'm going to meditate on it." I added.

"What?" Ryo asked.

"When I meditate, my spirit trainers come to me. It's a way of training without having to let my guard down sleeping." I explained as I sat down, I saw the others nod.

I closed my eyes and calmed myself so that I could go into a meditative state.

"_You're early." One of my spirit trainers said._

_I opened my eyes and could see that I was in the training grounds I had become used to. It was the old training ground in the Ryu-Inu village, from before it was destroyed._

"_I didn't come to train, but I had a question." I said standing._

"_We figured as much." Another of my spirit trainers said._

"_This pendant…" I started holding up the red pendant. "It's a guardian pendant right?" I asked then continued when they nodded. "Well where is the shrine? We're at the base of a mountain in the southern sector of the western lands. I can feel that it's close, but we've been unable to locate it."_

"_Ah, the guardian shrine, I had wondered where it moved to. Hmmm I suppose it would be time for an earth opening." The first spirit trainer said._

"_What?" I tilted my head in confusion._

"_There is a mark on the mountain right?" One of the trainers asked, and continued when I nodded. "Focus on it and use Crater Claw." He said with a smile as if I should have known._

"_Um ok, thanks." I said siting back down and breaking my meditation._

I opened my eyes to see the mountain range again and Katina, Ryo and Shippo all sitting around. As I stood their eyes focused on me.

"How long was I?" I asked looking around.

"About an hour or so." Katina said with a shrug.

"Damn, it didn't feel that long." I mumbled then walked back to the paw mark. "I think I've got it now." I said grabbing my staff.

I gripped it in both of my hands and focused on the mark. I let my aura flare slightly before I slammed the staff into the ground.

"Crater Claw!" I growled.

The paw mark split in half and two brown dragon claws began prying the rock apart until a cave entrance could be seen.

"Cool." Shippo whispered as we walked into the tunnel.

The tunnel was so dark that we had to get Shippo to use his fox fire to light the way.

We walked until a small glow could be seen and sped up. At the end of the tunnel was a large cave with dozens of statues.

All of the statues looked the same. They resembled winged canines that had scales along their back and covered their wings. Though they varied in size, they averaged the same as my smaller true form. The only truly noticeable difference was that the statues differed in color. The statues were one of five colors: brown, blue, white, red and yellow.

In the center of the statues was a small shrine with four candles around it, one at each edge.

"Wow." I whispered as we made our way to the shrine.

"This is amazing." Katina said going over to touch one of the statues.

"So these are the guardians. I can vaguely remember them. They were great fighters and very loyal." Ryo said his voice showing his awe.

"Yea too bad we couldn't have them now. They would be great help in fighting the east." I said looking over the shrine.

The shrine was a simple stone table with the candles on it. In the center there was a black circle with a faded character I couldn't read.

"Should we pay our respects then go?" Katina said coming over to me and looking at the shrine.

"I suppose so; it doesn't look like there is anything here that we can use." I said looking around the room.

"Wait." Katina said looking closer at the shrine. "I think this character says 'awaken', its worn and hard to read, but I think that's what it says. I have a scroll that says something about awakenings, and I think it was talking about guardians of some sort." She said, pulling out and sorting through the scrolls she now carried with her. "Found it!" She proclaimed as she pulled out a black scroll with red writing on it.

She unrolled the scroll and placed it over the shrine. It had the same black circle and character as the shrine, only it was clear and indeed said "awaken".

She pulled out another scroll and began reading through it before smiling towards me. "I think there might be something in here for us after all." She said. "Watch." She placed her hand in the middle of the black scroll's circle and began chanting from the second scroll.

At first nothing happened. Just as I was about to tell her to give it up, her eyes began glowing and the ground began to shake.

"What's going on?" Ryo said coming over.

"I don't know." I said to him before turning to Katina. "Hey I think this place might be caving in! We have to get out of here!" I went to reach for her but a barrier stopped me.

"She's in a trance, we can't break her out of it until she finishes." Ryo growled and moved as a huge chunk of rock fell where he had been standing.

"Shit! Well we have to do something; this whole place could come down on top of us." I said looking around, while avoiding the falling stone.

"Look! The statues are breaking!" Shippo said jumping onto my shoulder.

"It looks like the earthquake is destroying them. I'm not surprised, who knows how old these things are." I said still looking for a way out.

"No look closer!" Shippo shouted.

As I looked at the statues closer, I could see that each was not only breaking, but also glowing. Actually, now that I looked at the statues, they weren't breaking. The stone was changing. The stone was almost being absorbed and being replaced by actual fur and scales.

We watched as the statues slowly became living creatures of what they had resembled. When the last statue had completely turned into a leaving beast, the shaking stopped. The beast began to shake themselves off and stretch before focusing on us.

"Did it work?" Katina asked as she swayed. Ryo caught here and was able to help her steady herself.

'Lady Misaki, you have come.' The largest of the beast growled giving a slight bow before the rest followed. He had white fur with black scales and blue eyes.

"That would be a yes." I said to Katina before turning back to the creature. "Please call me Kazuko. It's a long story."

'Very well Lady Kazuko.' The head creature barked. 'We assumed you would find us eventually.'

"What are you?" I asked looking around at all of the beasts looking at us. They varied in fur and scale colors but it was clear that they were all of the same species.

'We are the guardians of the Ryu-Inu clan. I suppose you would not have had anyone to teach you of us, but we are the ones who lived beside your ancestors. I am Masaru, leader of the guardians.' He barked.

"They entire clan was wiped out. No offense, but shouldn't you be dead too?" Ryo asked.

'We have been, in a sense.' Masaru barked. 'I will explain, but can we leave this cave first? We've been here for nearly two decades, if I am correct. I, and I'm sure we all, would like to feel the sun on our fur and scales again.'

"Yea sure, let's go." I said and lead the way through the tunnel back outside. As we emerged the sun was almost down and I felt a bit bad for the guardians; but they didn't seem to notice as they gave growls and murmurs of approval for the warmth of the sun rays.

As the rest basked in the sun, Masaru came back over to where we were. 'As for your earlier statement, in a sense we have been dead.' He barked sitting before us. 'We like any other creature can die, but we do not pass on. Instead our spirit returns to the shrine and we are reattached to a new body that is carved from the stone.' He growled. 'Once the statue is complete, our spirits fully attached to the new body. It ensures that the Ryu-Inu clan never goes without guardians.'

"Wow, so you will be forever stuck on this earth?" Katina asked.

'Not exactly, when they last drop of Ryu-Inu blood has been erased from this earth; we too will be wiped out.'

"So even though our demon blood was suppressed, it was still there to keep all of you alive." I said looking at the beasts lounging in the dying sunlight.

'Indeed.' Masaru snorted. 'Plus there are others with Ryu-Inu blood in them. While you three are the only surviving, pure-blooded Ryu-Inus, there are others with shared ancestry, even if their Ryu-Inu blood is weak.'

"So do you have to wait for someone to come and awaken you each time? How long does the new body take to from?" Shippo asked from my shoulder.

'It takes a year for the new bodies to form fully and we must wait until a Ryu-Inu mage comes and awakens us.' Masaru responded.

"One of my spirit trainers said something about the shrine moving and different elements needed to open the passage in. What does that mean?" I asked remember what had been said during my meditation.

'While our bodies are reforming we are in a very weak state. If someone were to destroy the statue before we were awakened, we would have to wait a whole other year for it to reform. You could imagine how this could be used against us if an enemy found the shrine. So to prevent it from happening, the shrine moves every decade. Each time it moves, they element needed to open the cave changes.' The lead guardian explained.

"Cool, the guardians can help us fight the east and rebuild our home." Katina said with a smile.

I noticed how a large number of the beasts growled at the mention of the east.

'Is that murderer Naru still the lord of the east?' One of the beasts, with red fur, yellow scales and white eyes, snarled in question.

"No, his ass of a son Toro is." Ryo responded sourly.

'I assume the western army will be fighting alongside us in the battle with the east. I doubt that lord Sesshomaru would let his mate…' Masaru was cut off my arms wrapping around his jaw and clamping it shut.

"Don't say that again!" I whispered sharply directly in his ear, so that no one else could hear. "I'll explain later, but you have to keep it secret!"

Masaru rolled his eyes, but thankfully he nodded. As I released him I could see guardians, Katina, Ryo and Shippo looking at me like I had grown a second head.

"What?" I snapped and they all looked away.

'Either way, I would think we should head back to the western castle to at least get some rest.' Masaru suggested as he and the guardians stood.

"Damn, I hadn't thought about that." I groaned.

"What's wrong?" Shippo asked.

"The council is coming next week. How am I supposed to just walk up to Sesshomaru and ask him to house thirty something…" I started.

'Actually there are forty-eight of us.' Masaru interjected.

"Forty-eight? How am I supposed to ask him to house forty-eight guardians? The council is already going to take up most of the rooms." I sighed. I could see a smart remark about to come from Katina and cut her off. "Don't you dare."

'We have no objects to sleeping outside.' Masaru barked and the other guardians gave their agreements.

"Well we can't just leave you here, so I suppose we'll just have to go with that. Let's go." I said leading the way back to western castle with Katina, Ryo, Shippo and forty-eight guardians following.

'_Could things get any more complicated?' _I thought with a loud sigh.

**~Koru~**

Sesshomaru had been in a foul mood since our conversation earlier in the day, and now that the sun was setting with no signs of his new mate, his temper was only getting fouler.

It was to be expected. It was customary that mates not part so soon after initially mating, especially one that was bonded. It gave them time to form a stronger bond with each other, but it was doubtful that Kazuko knew this. The longer the mates were apart the "grumpier" that each became.

As I looked out to see the newest arrivals to the western castle I knew the western lord's temper and patience was about to be tested.

It was unusually for members of the council to show up this early.

I had shown up early, but that was due to an ulterior motive other than the council; and as I watched the newcomers enter the castle, I knew that they also had other motives for their early arrival.

"Lord Toro, General Tai. It is a surprise to see you have arrived so early." I said giving the slightest of bows to the newcomers.

"We heard of some guest residing here that would be attending the council meeting. We just wanted to make sure we didn't miss anything. It would appear that this decade's meeting is going to be quite eventful and very interesting." The bull king said with a deceitful smirk.

"Toro." I looked up to see Sesshomaru snarl from the top of the stairs.

The eastern lord was right; this was going to be an interesting meeting. This assumption was strengthened as I scented the arrival of the Ryu-Inus and their guardians entering the castle gates.


	21. Don't Say That

**Howdy!**

**Here is the official 20th chapter of the story. **

**I'll admit that I'm kind of disappointed that the last chapter only had 2 reviews, but thanks to the reviewers who did review. I really appreciate it.  
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**Well either way here is the next chapter of, 'Where I Belong'.**

**Enjoy. ^^  
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><p><strong>~Don't Say That~<strong>

It had been three days since Lord Toro and General Tai had arrived.

The tension in the castle was so high it was almost suffocating. Hatred for the east radiated off of me, Katina, Ryo, Sesshomaru and the guardians. I was more than sure that Toro knew this, and he seemed to be thriving off of it.

It was clear from the looks he had as well as the confidence he exuded, that he had something up his sleeve for the meeting.

As for me and Sesshomaru… we've basically been avoiding each other since that night. I still couldn't figure out what to say, and I was pretty sure Sesshomaru was in the same boat. He would seem to want to talk, and then he would stop and leave. I'd finally sorted my mind to the best of my ability and planned on talking to him tonight.

The guardians had settled into the woods just outside of the castle walls and made a makeshift camp. I was surprised at all they were able to accomplish, even making crude huts to keep the elements from them during the night.

They had been going to the old village to repair it in shifts; though they never had less than ten that stayed at our side. I didn't blame them. Toro was definitely not one to be trusted.

Ryo, Katina, Shippo and I had continued our training, and today would be the last session until after the meeting.

The council was due to start arriving. Koru had already said that the southern lord would be arriving sometime today.

I currently sat watching Shippo spar with Ryo. We had been able to find the kit a pair of daggers, which he was using as duel swords.

Ryo was going easy on the kit, but he still kept the pace up enough so that Shippo was pushed just past his limits.

The kit was a fast learner and had managed to use his speed more efficiently than he had before. His art of fox magic also worked to his advantage, and he was currently working on making clones of himself. Unlike illusions, his clones could attack and physically wound an opponent. At the moment he could hold one clone while he fought.

"Match." Ryo said as he slashed through the clone and held his swords to Shippo's neck.

The kit looked defiant but admitted defeat.

"You're getting better." Ryo said helping the kit up.

"You really think so?" Shippo asked looking from Ryo to me.

"Yea, you've really improved. Keep up the work and you'll be an elite warrior in no time." I said jumping down from the branch I had been observing from.

'The kit has a lot of potential. Where'd you find him? He smells northern.' One of the guardians, named Dagger, commented. He was Masaru's second in command, and if Masaru wasn't around, he stayed by our sides.

"Long story, I'll tell you one day though." I said with a shrug.

"Oh you have a cut!" Katina said a little too excitedly. She had been working hard on learning the healing skills of a mage. Lucky for her, ten of the guardians had been mage assistants and they had been helping her. "Let me heal it." She said bounding over to Shippo and pulling out one of her scrolls.

Shippo gave the rest of us a helpless look and we shrugged. Katina's previous healing attempts hadn't exactly gone well.

'Remember you can't put too much power into it. Put just enough energy to heal the wound.' One of the mage assistants, named Leaf, said as she stood beside Katina.

'It's nothing personal Katina, but we're going to step back a bit.' A guardian named Blade said as he stepped back a few steps. Everyone else followed suit and watched Katina work.

"I can do it this time." Katina said confidently before putting the scroll over a cut to Shippo's shoulder. She closed her eyes and focused.

We watched as the scroll began to glow a dull blue before the color faded away. Once the scroll returned to normal, Katina removed it to reveal a completely repaired shoulder.

'She did it.' Leaf said with a bark of pride.

"See, I told you." Katina said proudly.

"Congrats." Ryo said offering her a hug. Katina blushed but embraced him still.

'Should we head back? I'm getting pretty hungry.' Sage, leader of the mage assistants, stated. Despite being the same age as the rest of the guardians, something about him seemed older and wiser. His name helped.

"You guys can go ahead back to the castle." Ryo said as he looked towards me and Katina. "I'll take Shippo, Blade, Fang, and Boar out hunting."

"Alright, see you later." I said leading Katina, Leaf, Sage, Dagger, Blossom, Kara, Bone and Spike back towards the castle. I noticed that Ryo had settled well into a leader role, which was good considering I barely had any idea of what I was doing.

As we arrived at the castle, a group of guardians was also returning from working at the village. They took breaks in shifts of five. I recognized the five as Oak, Slash, Breeze, Swift, and Mace.

'Hey guys, you on break?' Blossom asked going over to greet the others.

'Yea, Masaru is really pushing hard. He wants the village done by the time we leave for the north.' Oak said as he shook himself.

'I could have worked for a few more hours.' Swift complained and I rolled my eyes.

"Well since you're not tired and you are the fastest, I need you to do something." I said petting the yellow furred, green scaled and blue eyed guardian.

'What is it?' He asked excitedly.

"We haven't had time to celebrate you guys, or us for that matter." I started. "Tell Masaru that we're going to have a feast. Ryo's already taken a hunting party and I'm going to lead another. Ask him to send back Storm, Shadow and Kiara." I said and watched as Swift took off back towards the village. "Dagger, would you mind joining me?"

'Of course I don't, I haven't been on a good hunt in over a decade.' Dagger said.

"That'll leave Katina here with Oak, Slash, Breeze, Mace, Sage, Leaf, Blossom, Bone, Kara and Spike. That makes ten, so we're good to go." I said, counting the guardians on my fingers as I spoke.

We waited with small talk until we could hear what almost sounded like a stampede. As I looked up I could see Swift leading the guardians I requested.

'Swift told us about the hunt.' Kiara said as she smiled a toothy, canine grin.

'This will be great. It till be like the old days.' Storm said approvingly.

'Will we be participating in the traditional feast hunt?' Shadow asked.

"The what?" I still had so much to learn about the traditions of the clan.

'When there is a feast, you have a feast hunt. It's when two hunting parties go out and they see which party can catch the most. It's not a vicious challenge, just something for fun and bragging rights.' Dagger explained.

"Sounds fun. Hey Swift, do you think you could make one more run?" I asked looking towards the fastest guardian.

'I could fun for decades.' He boasted.

"Then go find Ryo and tell him we're doing a feast hunt." I said and watched him lead. "Well we should get going if we're going to catch up. Who knows how much they may have caught by now." I added to the hunting party and turned into my smaller true form.

'Happy hunting.' Sage barked before leading Katina, Oak, Slash, Breeze, Mace, Leaf, Blossom, Bone, Kara and Spike back to the camp.

'Ryo's group went east, so we'll let them have that area.' Dagger said.

'Then let's head north.' I said looking around for their answers.

'Let's go.' Shadow said and we took off north. Off in the distance we could hear Ryo's group give playful challenge howl and we returned it.

**~Sesshomaru~**

My castle grounds had been overrun with the Ryu-Inu guardians, but I had to admit they didn't provide any major problems. The only real problem was their constant howling, such as the ones I could hear now, and their collective stink from having not bathed in over a decade.

I had to admit, although grudgingly, they provided an extra measure of protection for Kazuko.

Plus my attention was more focused on the eastern council members currently residing in my castle. Toro had made it clear that he had something planned for the council meeting that concerned the Ryu-Inus in a way that I was sure I would not like.

"Lord Sesshomaru." I looked up from some scrolls to see the one called Katina entering my study with one of the guardians beside her; it had white fur, silver scales and golden eyes.

"We came to inform you of a feast we're having at the Ryu-Inu village." She said hesitantly.

"The destroyed village?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow.

'We've been rebuilding it Lord Sesshomaru.' The guardian said.

That explained where they kept disappearing to.

'It's for the Ryu-Inu, but as Lady Kazuko's mate, we thought you might like to attend.' The guardian continued.

"He's Kazuko's what?" Katina asked looking at the guardian in surprise and a small growl came from my chest.

'Oh! My apologies, I assumed it was common knowledge.' The guardian said with a bow and led the girl out with a nudge.

"Sage, what did that mean?" I could hear Katina says as they walked off.

'It is none of your concern young one.' Sage responded.

The guardian had brought up something important though. It was expected that I would announce my mate at the council meeting, to prevent my lands being stripped from me. Yet I had yet to talk to Kazuko about it. She had been avoiding me and I had sort of been avoiding her as well.

'_Perhaps I will go to the feast and talk to her there.'_

**~Kazuko~**

'Our stack is clearly larger.' Blade was arguing with Storm over which hunting party had brought back the most from the hunt.

'But you got a head start.' Storm huffed.

"We'll call it a tie for now." Ryo said pushing his way between the two. "This is a time a celebration. It's not the winner, but the thrill of the hunt." He said getting nods from others who were watching.

I had been watching from where I was getting cooking pits set up with Blaze, Shadow and Kara, and laughed with the rest as the Storm and Blade grudgingly agreed.

The guardians were just as intelligent as anyone I had met, with a wide range of individual personalities. They had their own systems. Masaru was the leader, Dagger was his second in command and Sage was the leader of the mage assistants. I had also learned that they each had mates, which would explain why there was an even number of them.

'That'll do.' Kara said as she finished the last pit. 'Boar! Slash! Bring over the kills.' She said and began to sort through the food as it was brought over. We were able to fit everything in the pits and now just had to wait for it to cook through.

I took this time to sit and look around the pack we had.

Katina was sitting with the mage assistants, listening to Sage lecture about something concerning herbs.

Ryo was talking with Dagger about battle techniques and strategies, while a group of guardians acted out the mock battle positions.

I could just make out Shippo showing a few more of the group his fox magic.

It all seemed so normal and peaceful, something I hadn't been able to experience recently.

'You seem troubled.' Masaru said as he came up beside me.

"They all seem so happy and at peace." I said absently.

'And you are not?' He questioned, laying down and placing his head on my lap. I absently began stroking the fur and scales on his head.

"It's not that, it's just so foreign. I can't think of a time where I've ever felt this at peace. Where I came from, I was constantly weighted down with doing well in school and in sports. When I came here, I've been weighted down with fulfilling a destiny that my entire clan laid their lives down for, and I'm not even sure I can do it. Plus there's the thing with Sesshomaru…" I trailed off as I thought about Sesshomaru.

'The dog lord of the west? Is he not your mate?'

"Well I don't really know. This whole demon culture is still new and confusing to me. But since everyone keeps saying that, it must mean that we did something to make others think we're mates."

'It's the marks upon your necks and your change in scent. You pierced the skin and projected some of your aura into him and he did the same to you, thus binding you to each other.'

"How long does that last?"

'Canines mate for life, though it is not uncommon for males to take more than one mate.'

"Oh…"

'Do you not wish to be mated to him?'

"It's not that exactly. I just don't think he understands me. He wants someone who's just going to submit to him and play the pampered lady of the west. That's not me. Even though I may have not been a demoness long, I know I'm a fighter; I was when I thought I was human. I couldn't stand having to stay cooped up in some castle for the rest of my life; and I certainly couldn't stand having a mate that didn't see me as an equal."

'You're just like your mother.'

"What was she like?"

'Princess Tia was very kind, but she was fierceness. But unlike you, she didn't have the power to back up how she felt. Thankfully she mated a demon that saw her as his equal. Your father was one of the few males I've met, outside of the guardians, who was able to understand that sex didn't matter when it came to power.'

We fell silent for a while and watched the others. This went on for a few minutes until I broke the silence.

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing? Leading us north to train for a war with the east? Our entire clan couldn't take on the east, what makes this any better? I could be leading us all to our deaths. I've had to be strong, but it's hard to keep it up. I know I have all of you with me, but sometimes I still feel like I'm going at this alone. I'm afraid that I could be making a mistake."

'Your clan had faith in you before you were even born. I see what you've become and I can see why they held such hope. Only you can decide what is best for you and your clan, it is your duty as Lady of the Ryu-Inu.' The guardian raised his head to look over my shoulder. 'Just remember that we'll be with you no matter your choice.' He said before walking over to where Ryo and Dagger were.

I watched him in confusion until I could feel a presence behind me. I turned to look over my shoulder to see the western lord.

"What are you doing here Sesshomaru?" I asked turning back to watch the others.

**~Sesshomaru~**

I had no intentions of eavesdropping on her conversation with the one called Masaru. But as I had been walking to repairing village, her words had stopped me. More than anything, two things she said stood out.

"_It's not that. I just don't think he understands me. He wants someone who's just going to submit to him and play the pampered lady of the west. That's just not me. Even though I may not have been a demoness long, I know I'm a fighter; I was when I thought I was human. I couldn't stand having to stay cooped up in some castle for the rest of life; and I certainly couldn't stand having a mate that didn't see me as an equal."_

It was like the priestess had said. Kazuko had no interest in the traditional role of a lady; and to be honest with myself, neither was I. All the women who had previously courted me were pampered and spoiled, and expected to remain as such after a mating.

I hadn't realized what I wanted in a mate until Kazuko had shown up. Her determination and defiance had made it impossible to ignore her. It was clear to me that I had no interest in a mate that would simply follow me and expect me to provide for everything. I wanted a mate who could handle themself and be a protector for our pups.

"_Do you think I'm doing the right thing? Leading us north to train for a war with the east? Our entire clan couldn't take on the east, what makes this any better? I could be leading us all to our deaths. I've had to be strong, but it's hard to keep it up. I know I have all of you with me, but sometimes I still feel like I'm going at this alone. I'm afraid that I could be making a mistake."_

Under her defiance was fear and it didn't settle well with me. Like everyone else I had assumed she was doing fine with her role, and to hear that she was having trouble bothered me. I knew that a mate's responsibility was to soothe and comfort their mate, but it was something that I was unfamiliar with. I knew how to soothe Rin to sleep after having a bad dream, but this was different.

Masaru eventually spotted me and gave me the slightest of nods before walking off.

"What are you doing here Sesshomaru?" Her words sounded hollow.

"I came to talk." I replied simply.

"Well go ahead." She said after a sigh.

"The council meeting is coming up and they will expect me to present you as my mate so that I can retain my lands without a fight." I stated and was surprised as anger radiated off her in a tangible wave.

"So that's it huh? You don't care about me. All you care about is your stupid ego and your stupid title! I can't believe that I thought you were different! Once an ass always and ass!" Her voice rose as she stood and glared at me. I was vaguely aware of the rest of the group staring towards us. "Well you know what Sesshomaru? I don't want to be your mate!" She said then turned to storm off.

Though I remained indifferent on the outside, hearing her words sent a blast through my body as if an invisible enemy had delivered a punch straight to my chest. The breath left my body and I felt as if the world had just frozen. My veins were iced. My inner demon felt as if it had been run through with the deadliest of blades.

I acted before I could think.

Before she could turn away completely I grasped her wrist to keep her from leaving.

"Let go!" She growled trying to tug herself from my grip.

"Don't say that." I said just barely above a whisper.

"Say what? Let go? I want you to let go, so let go!" She growled.

"Don't say you don't want to be my mate." I replied, starting to feel what could be described as close to panic rising in the pit of my stomach, though my outward appearance never changed.

"Look Sesshomaru I am not going to be a part of some stupid scheme to help you keep you lands. Go find someone else; I'm sure there are women literally killing each other to be with you." She snarled ripping her wrist from my grip and running off. I heard a few of the Ryu-Inu move to follow her, but I gave a feral snarl to ward them off.

I was after her in a flash.

I can't remember a time that I've ever seen her run so fast. Somewhere inside, I knew that if she got away there wasn't a hope left. The scent of tears only strengthened my determination to keep her from leaving. Summoning my aura, I was able to use my orb of light to outrun her.

I reformed directly in her path so that she ran straight into me. Before she could recover I had my arms tightly around her to prevent escape.

"Leave me alone!" She growled, closing her eyes punching my chest with enough force that I could feel bruises forming.

"I don't want anyone else." I said and felt her freeze.

**~Kazuko~**

"I don't want anyone else." His words froze me in mid-swing, which was probably good for him because I had put enough force into this punch to shatter bone.

"What?" I whispered.

"I would not mate any other." He said hesitantly loosening his grip as if he was unsure if I'd try to run again.

I couldn't think of anything to say and we stood in silence for a few minutes.

"How do I know you aren't saying this to keep your lands? How do I know this isn't a trick?" I finally asked. "Why do want to be my mate?" She added quietly.

"This Sesshomaru has no need for such lowly deceptions." He stated with a barely concealed snort of distaste. "You are…different. I have not met one who is as determined and defiant as you. You are strange and childish, yet you are a warrior who can fend for yourself and others when called to. I've never met a more beautiful demoness. I will do what it takes to not lose you. I am bonded to you." He said hesitantly as if he was unused to talking so much or expressing how he felt. It was most likely both.

His words echoed in my mind over and over as I tried to make sense of what his words meant. Somewhere in there I think he had made it clear that he cared about me, although he didn't necessarily say it word for word. He'd called me beautiful and I could feel the slightest of blushes forming on my cheeks. The last of his words hadn't made sense to me.

"What does that mean? You are bonded?" I asked. It sounded as if he was tied to me against his will and I didn't want that.

"Humans would say it as…I love you." He said obviously trying to not be condescending towards using human terms.

'_He loves me.'_ I thought as my eyes opened and looked up to his. His golden eyes were narrowed and searching as he watched me, trying to read my response. "Sesshomaru everyone sees you as an arrogant, emotionless ass who doesn't care about anyone else but yourself and obtaining power." I stated and felt him tense as if he thought I was going to deny him as a mate. "But I've seen what you can be. I've seen that you can be caring and gentle when you want to be. I guess I fell in love with you for everything you were; the good and the bad." I could visibly see him relax as I finished.

"You will not leave then? You will be my mate?" He asked.

"No, I suppose I can stay. I will allow you to introduce me at the council meeting as your mate." I said.

"Aww, this is probably the sweetest thing I've ever seen." We both turned to see Katina coming out of the tree cover.

"Katina? What the hell?" I said. Once again I had not sensed her coming. I gave a light sniff and sighed. "The rest of you can come out too." As I spoke the rest of the guardians, along with Ryo and Shippo, emerged from their hiding. "Seriously?"

'We wanted to insure that you did not end up harmed.' Masaru said with a dip of his head towards Sesshomaru's direction. 'It appears we had nothing to worry about. We will head back for the village, the food is ready.' He added and led the group away.

'You two hurry up. This feast just became a celebration of your mating as well as a revival of the Ryu-Inu clan.' Leaf said with a happy bark before following the rest of the group.

"I swear they're like big, deadly children." I mumbled watching them leave.

"Hn." Sesshomaru gave his agreement.

"I suppose we should get back before they come looking for us again." I said turning, but I was stopped by Sesshomaru who grabbed around my waist and brought me against his chest. Before I could protest his lips had descended on mine. He waited until I returned the kiss before he let me go.

As we walked back, I felt a bit light headed and was suddenly aware that I was still on my heat, something I had managed to block out until now. As it surged and I tried to snap myself out of it, I could have sworn I saw Sesshomaru smirk.

The rest of the feast went by rather quickly as no one trusted Toro to be alone in the western castle unattended for long. Sesshomaru left early, since it wouldn't look well for any of the council to show up and he is not there to greet them upon arrival. I had thought that what had happened was no big deal to the others, as they hadn't brought it up; but I immediately saw that I was wrong when the western lord walked off.

"Why didn't you tell us you were courting Sesshomaru?" Katina immediately shouted when the western lord was out of sight, but I was sure he wasn't out of hearing range. "This makes you lady of the west!"

"Because I wasn't, or I don't think I was." I said thinking back to the previous months. I couldn't recall ever formally courting or even flirting with Sesshomaru, nor he with me.

'It was mostly likely on a subconscious level.' Sage said as he looked up from his meal of venison. 'You're inner demon was interested in him, right?'

"Yea, sometimes it wouldn't shut up about him." I grumbled.

'Then it's possible that your inner demon has been "secretly" courting Sesshomaru. It would be hard to tell, mostly just things like a subtle change in scent.' The lead mage assistant explained.

"I wouldn't be surprised." I commented.

"So does this mean you two are officially a couple?" Ryo asked with a snort.

"I guess. I'm still new to this demon thing." I said with a shrug.

'The mating marks mean that you're mates, so yes you are officially a couple.' Breeze commented. 'Plus, you may not have noticed but your scents have changed. It's a signal for other demons to say that you're taken.'

"See I told you, that you smell different." Ryo boasted.

"Would you like a cookie?" I drawled sarcastically, getting a few strange looks. "It's a saying where I come from." I explained. "So is this all that's needed for a mating?" I asked sliding the top of my kimono so that the mark showed.

'Well typically yes. But since you're mated to a lord, I'm sure there will be a ceremony or introduction of some sort to the other lords and ladies and to the subjects of the western lands. I would assume the council meeting would be the place for introducing you to the rest of the lords and ladies. I would guess a festival of some sort would be done so the subjects of the west can know who you are.' Masaru explained.

"Speaking of the council meeting, who is allowed to come?" I asked. With Toro going, there was no telling what he could try and pull. I would prefer to have as much backup as possible.

'Usually it's made up of the lords and ladies, the leaders of important clans, the generals and one extra, typically an advisor for each leader.' Masaru said thoughtfully.

"I'll be going as lady of the west." I said with a shaky sigh as the realization sunk in. "Ryo I want you there as general of the Ryu-Inu forces." I said and smiled as he puffed his chest with pride and nodded. "Masaru I want you to come as my advisor." I added and the guardian leader nodded.

'Could I make a suggestion?' Leaf interjected and continued when we nodded in her direction. 'I know Masaru is the leader and he is personal guardian to the royal family, but perhaps you should take Sage with you. He is by far the wisest and most diplomatic of us all. In a council meeting, we'll need diplomacy more than strength.' She said and I had to admit she had a point.

"What do you think?" I asked looking towards Masaru and Sage.

'I agree with Leaf. Take Sage and I'll talk to Lord Sesshomaru about a place where Swift, Shadow, Storm and I can be close by just in case.' Masaru said.

'I would be honored to attend as your advisor.' Sage said with a dip of his head.

"Ok then I'll take Sage with me." I said then turned to Ryo. "I want you and Dagger to come up with an emergency plan just in case something goes wrong. I just know Toro is up to something."

"We're one step ahead of you." Ryo said with a smirk. "Since Sage and I will be in the meeting with you and Masaru, Storm, Swift and Shadow will be inside the castle that leaves forty-five, including Shippo and Katina. We'll have everyone in nine groups of five stationed around the wall of the castle, one mage per group."

"Great plan." I said though was a bit unsure. "Are you sure Shippo should go?"

"The kit will be fine. From what I've seen, he can handle himself, and I've put him in Dagger's group." Ryo said and I looked to Shippo to see if he was ok with this.

"I'll be ok Kazuko. I've been training really, really hard." He said holding up his daggers/swords.

"Ok, but if anything goes wrong, I want you out of there immediately." I commented.

'I suppose we should get back since the sun is setting.' Dagger said as they worked to dispose of the uneaten meat.

As we walked back small talk flittered through the group, most of which was on what Toro could be planning. Everyone agreed that the bull king was up to something bad for us, but no one could figure out what. We went through the plan again, since our training sessions would have to be put on hold until after the meeting; and said our goodnights to the guardians.

We arrived at the castle just a pair of foxes, one silver and the other gold, descended in front of the gate. As we got closer I could see that each fox held a little bundle in their jaws, one silver with gold paws and the other gold with silver paws.

When the two foxes landed they transformed, revealing two very well dressed people and children that appeared to be a little older than Shippo. The silver fox turned into a very regal, although a bit heavy, fox demon. His silver hair was unusual for a fox and only served to intensify his green eyes. The golden fox turned into a beautiful fox demoness who was wearing clothes that probably cost more money than I had ever had in my life. The two kits were both female.

Seeing how well they were dressed I immediately assumed they were a lord and lady of some land, and I remembered Koru saying the northern lord was a fox.

"Wow." Katina whispered. "I suddenly feel like a peasant." Shippo, Ryo and I gave our agreements as we looked at our own tattered training clothes.

"Oh, hello! It is nice to meet you!" The silver haired fox demon said with a cheerful grin as he noticed us coming up. His voice and build reminded me of Santa.

"Di must you be so forceful. The poor young ones looked weary enough as it us, without some old fox coming at them." The fox demoness said shaking her head. The two kits giggled as they watched their parents.

"Lily I was simply greeting them, no harm done." Lord Di said looking towards us.

"It's no problem. It's nice to meet you. You're the lord and lady of the north correct?" I asked with a slight bow.

"Indeed we are. And you're the survivors of the Ryu-Inu clan." Lord Di answered.

"How could you tell?" Katina asked.

"That's a scent we won't be forgetting. Though they were subjects of the west, the Ryu-Inu clan was known for their kindness and helpfulness to all." Lady Lily commented with a fondness to her tone. "They once helped us quell a rebellion on our border."

"Shippo is that you?" Lord Di said leaning in to peer at Shippo who was on Ryo's shoulder.

"My name is Shippo." He said hesitantly.

"Well will you look here." The northern lord said lifting the kit up. "We had though you died years ago. When I received news that Lily's brother had died, we immediately traveled to find you, since no one had reported a dead kit. But when we arrived there was no trace of you, we assumed you hadn't made it."

"You knew my father?" Shippo asked quietly.

"He was my brother. You probably don't remember me, since last time I saw you would have been when you were barely a year old. I had always asked my brother to move into the castle with us, but he preferred the hills so much." Lady Lily said sadly. "But we're so happy to have found you. Now you can come live with us at the northern castle."

Shippo gave an unsure look in our direction that didn't go unnoticed by the northern lord.

"Mate, I think he's grown fond of his adoptive pack." He commented, putting Shippo back down on Ryo's shoulder.

"So he has." She said with a small smile. "Well, you will be traveling with us north after the meeting, so you don't have to choose now. We should enter the castle, a chill is forming."

We nodded and followed the northern royal family into the castle. As expected, Sesshomaru and Koru were there to greet the foxes.

"Allow me to show you to your rooms." Koru said bowing and then leading the foxes away.

"They seem nice." Katina said when they had left.

"Kind of on the strange side though." Ryo added.

I noticed that Shippo remained quiet as we entered the castle. With the arrival of his aunt and her wish for him to live in the north, I could see his dilemma. I made up in my mind that I wouldn't try to persuade him to a choice, it was important that he was able to make a clear decision for himself. That way he would be able to always say he made such a major life decision on his own.

"We're going to go find something to do, since it's too early to go to sleep." Katina said as the three of them walked off.

"Oh so now you're just going to leave me? You guys are great, really great." I huffed at them and rolled my eyes.

"It looks like you have something more interesting to do." Katina said with a wink and made a motion up the stairs to where Sesshomaru was standing.

I was going to question what she meant until I saw the red that rimmed the western lord's eyes.


	22. Council Meeting: Day One

**Howdy all! Happy April Fool's Day, don't worry no pranks here.**

**The question has arisen again, where is Naraku? Don't worry he's still scheming in the background. He'll be making an appearance in the next chapter.**

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews. :D**

**Other than that I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

****Enjoy. ^^**  
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><p><strong>~Council Meeting - Day One~<strong>

"What do you mean the council meeting last three days?" I was shouting at Ryo as he rubbed the back of his head with a fearful smile. The sun still hadn't risen as I growled at my pack mate. I was storming in the entranceway to the castle at the bottom of the stairs.

My mood was already slightly off from having to wake up so early and at the clothing I was wearing. Apparently I had to look the part of a lord's mate. I was dressed in tight silver and gold kimono that was less comfortable than being covered in snakes trying to suffocate me to death. The servants had also made me put my hair up in a bun and smeared my face in makeup. It was so not my look.

Ryo was dressed in a uniform that made him look like a western solider rather than a Ryu-Inu general. The only difference being that he had found his father's old chest plate and adorned it.

"I guess I forgot." He said with a shrug.

"I outta hurt you." I growled rolling my eyes.

Ryo seemed to notice Sesshomaru walking by and quickly pointed to the western lord. Sesshomaru was dressed in his usual only difference being that he was without his armor or weapons.

"Hey he should have told you! He has way more experience in this sort of thing!" He shouted then walked away quickly as I turned to face Sesshomaru.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I growled as I stormed over to Sesshomaru. He seemed confused, and considering he'd just woken up and walked in he probably was.

"Tell you what?" He asked casually.

"That this council meeting last three days." I growled.

"It was assumed that you knew." He said and looked over my shoulder to see Ryo had turned to smirk. I could just barely make out Sesshomaru mouthing 'I will kill you'.

It had been a week since the southern lord had arrived and today marked the first day of the council meeting.

The rest of the guest had arrived and they were more than curious about Katrina, Ryo and I. We had become the center of attention, despite our best efforts to divert attention away.

What made it worse was, as news trickled through that I was Sesshomaru's new mate I received one of two types of responses.

The first kind of response came from the males. An unreasonable amount of males(some of who were mated) would find it necessary to come and tell me how they wished I were still available; but none of the cowards were brave enough to say it when the western lord was around.

The second responses came from the females. They made their displeasure at the situation very clear. More than once I was given a warning to 'watch my back' or I would get a teasing remark such as 'lords rarely have only one mate'.

The female threats didn't really bother me, as most of them were spoiled princesses who had probably never thrown a punch in their life; but the remarks about having multiple mates would send an uneasy feeling to my gut.

Ryo hadn't fully gotten over what Sesshomaru had done to make me run in the first place, but to his credit he was at least trying to be civil. To make up for what the western lord did, Ryo settled for getting Sesshomaru in range of my anger should something upset me.

Due to our new mating, and a lack of space to accommodate guest, Sesshomaru and I had moved into the room on the third floor he had shown me before. He had explained that it was the mated room for the western lord and his mate. It was still a bit strange but I was getting used to it.

Ryo and Katrina were now sharing a room to make space for more guess. They always denied when asked if anything was going on between them, but my ears didn't lie about what I heard at night.

Shippo had also moved into a room with Rin, and the poor little guy had been depressed. I kept meaning to ask him why he seemed so down, but things had been moving way faster than I had imagined.

"So how exactly does this work?" I groaned as I ran a clawed hand through my hair.

"The council meeting lasts three days from sunrise until sun high." Sesshomaru said as he walked into the dining hall. I followed with mumbled dislike. "The first day consists of introductions of new council members, any births of heirs or new matings, an overview of the rules and a formal greeting from the hosting party." He said looking over his shoulder at me.

"I'm a part of this hosting party, aren't I?" I asked with a sigh.

"As lady of the west, yes." He responded taking a seat and awaiting the servants to bring out the food. "The second day is when each lord and leader announces any new, relevant, events. Typically border disputes, rebellions, and human interactions. The third day is when any other news is announced and the council makes decisions on certain matters and a dismissal."

"The second and third day sounds the same." I commented.

"For the most part they are. But it's done as such to prevent any hasty decisions." He gave a hint of a sigh at my confused expression and continued. "Say two clans are debating a border. They would bring it before the council on the second day. Everyone is to hear both sides and then get half a day to think about it and the choice to sleep on it. That way they can make a clear ruling on the third day. If nothing of substantial important arises on the second day, then the third day is simply a dismissal."

I had come to see that Sesshomaru didn't mind talking as much when it was just the two of us. He was just quiet around others. I assume it was some sort of ego thing to help keep his intimidating image up. As the food was brought out, he again fell into the quiet, stoic demon he was around others. The rest of the council members trickled in, the smell of the food waking and drawing them in.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Shippo slip in and take some food with him. Due to the council being made of demons only, some of which held deep hatred for humans, Rin was confined to her room. Though this was done for the little girl's safety, I still felt bad for her. Thankfully Shippo had been taking food up to her and keeping her company.

Ryo slipped in to sit beside me and Sage entered to stand behind me.

I was only mildly aware of the chatter around the large formal dining table as I thought about the meetings.

'_So today is just introduction, rules, and greetings. So there is no way Toro could cause trouble today. But tomorrow is when disputes are brought up to be judged. I'd bet my wings that that's when he's going to unveil whatever it is he had planned. I'll tell Katrina and Masaru this afternoon.' _I mulled but was brought out of my thoughts as I felt Sesshomaru's aura call to mine, something I learned came with the mating marks.

I looked up to see him looking my way. To anyone else it would appear he was giving his usual indifferent look, but I was able to read the subtle changes to tell that he was questioning my silence. I gave a slight shake of my head and mouth 'I'll tell you later'. He gave a brief nod before returning to some pointless conversation he was having with a leader from a southern clan.

"I believe that now is as good a time as any to begin the council meeting." The southern lord, a panther demon announced. The rest of the table gave their agreement and the table was cleared of food.

'_This is the largest room in the castle. It's probably the only one that could hold all of them.'_ I thought.

"Lord Sesshomaru, if you would begin." I heard the voice of Duma state. As had been said, the mysterious figure was shrouded by darkness so that none could make out its being or even scent it. Its voice was like an echo in a cave. You knew it was coming from an exact location, but you couldn't pinpoint it because it bounced around. It was clear that every demon was uncomfortable with the creature that they could hear but not see or sense; yet none seemed to wish to stand up to the creature.

"Welcome, council, to the western castle." Sesshomaru started as he stood. "I hope that you have all been well accommodated." Even I could tell his words sounded rehearsed and insincere. "I will begin by announcing my mating to the Lady of the Ryu-Inu clan, Kazuko." He said looking my way.

I was aware of every eye turning to face me, some with curiosity and some with hatred and envy. It took everything I had not to turn away from the stares, but I couldn't stop the blush that spread across my cheeks. There were a few murmurs around the table as Sesshomaru returned to his seat.

"We will go next." The northern lord said with a wide grin. "We would like to formally announce that the birth of our twin daughters, Rose and Daisy. It is undecided which will ascend to the throne, but the decision shall be made by the next council meeting." The southern lord commented as his mate held up their two kits. The council gave murmurs of approval with the occasional 'look at how cute they are'.

The southern lord stood up next and waited for the whispers to die down. "The southern lands have nothing new to report. Our son is currently on a traditional panther spirit ritual and will be back for the next council meeting. He will be reaching maturity soon and we will begin entertaining mating requests."

I flinched slightly as they talked of making life decisions for their son instead of letting him make them himself. I had to remind myself that this was a different time than I was used to and they had different customs. A few of the clan leaders murmured to themselves about their daughters being good mates and the honor it would bring their clans.

"That leaves me." Toro said standing. "I remain unmated at the moment, but I feel that could change soon." He said and I noticed, with disgust, that his eyes never left me as he spoke. I could tell Sesshomaru noticed too by the slight spike in his aura and a deeper musk radiating in his scent. Toro sat down, a never wavering smirk on his features as he looked my way.

The leaders of the major clans and tribes gave their introductions. Two announced a new mating, one announced a new heir and another clan announced a joining of what were once two separate clans.

One of the tribes was the western wolf tribe lead by Kouga. I remembered Kagome mentioning him once and a crush he had on her. Sure enough he announced that he was still in pursuit of a mate but was being sidetracked by a half-demon.

During everything I noticed that Duma didn't say anything. If I hadn't been looking at its cloudy figure, I wouldn't have believed it to be there.

By the time each group was finished with its turn, it was almost noon. I could now see why this took multiple days.

"Seeing as we have several new council members I will give the rules for the next two days." Duma said almost startling me. "Tomorrow we will begin promptly at dawn. The leaders of the clans and tribes will begin with any issues they have to bring forth, and then the four lords and ladies will follow suite. Any that bring major issues to be resolved must be prepared to defend their sides. The day after we will hold any votes that need be determined, remembering that the two parties with the issue will not be allowed to vote on the matter. You are dismissed for the day."

I watched as everyone, except for Ryo, Sage and Sesshomaru, left the dining room, and gave a growl as Toro passed.

'Calm yourself, allowing hostility will not go over well with the council. Notice how Lord Toro kept himself in a regal manner despite his veiled threat.' Sage said as he tapped my shoulder with the tip of his tail.

"I just want to rip the bastard's head off." Ryo snarled lowly and I agreed.

'As appealing as that sounds; it would lead to more trouble than we could handle.' Sage responded with a breathy sigh. 'We don't have a fraction of the forces to deal with the backlash that would come with assassinating a lord.'

"We'll just have to go talk to the rest of the pack. Toro has a plan. And whatever it is, he will reveal it tomorrow." I said standing up. Looking towards the western lord I noticed his eyes were still narrowed towards the seat Toro had been sitting in. "You know he's gone right?" I asked wave a hand past Sesshomaru's eyes. He gave a long blink before his eyes came up to meet mine. I offered a small smile before following Sage and Ryo out of the room.

**~Sesshomaru~**

"Izu." I called to summon the fox as I entered the library. The old fox spent most of his time in this room and had even gotten a cot put in the corner.

"To what do I owe this honor Lord Sesshomaru?" The fox asked putting down some scrolls and bowing. Izu had been in a much better mood since my mating.

"Toro means to stir up trouble. I want you to find a solution to anything and everything he could possibly pull." I said. I hated to admit it, but I was just as much in the dark about Toro's intentions as everyone else.

"Of course Lord Sesshomaru, I will get all of my scribes on it immediately." He said and hurried off.

I began to walk back to my study, but was stopped by one of the Ryu-Inu guardians.

'Lord Sesshomaru.' She started with a dip of her head. 'Your presence is requested.'

"Lead on." I replied and followed the beast out to the make-shift camp the Ryu-Inus were in.

"I don't see why they can't just wait outside the doors." Ryo was speaking.

"Because they wouldn't fit! How many times do we have to say that?" Katina responded with an exasperated sigh.

'There is a way we could fit.' The guardian leader said with a bit of hesitation and what almost sounded like embarrassment.

"How? And why haven't you brought this up before?" Kazuko asked as she noticed me entering the clearing. She had cleared her face of the makeup and let her hair hang freely.I was curious to their plan, since my knowledge of the guardians was nearly non-existent.

**~Kazuko~**

'Guardians.' Masaru said with a sigh and nodded at the other guardians.

Ryo, Katrina, Sesshomaru and I watched as each was covered in their respective elements, like Kilala when she transformed. Each cover of element appeared to be shrinking until I realized that they were.

When all the elements died away I was staring at a group of guardian puppies! They were only a few inches bigger than Kilala was in her smaller form.

"They're so cute!" Katrina squealed going over to pick up two of the miniature guardians.

'This is why we did not bring it up before.' Dagger growled as he tried to squirm his way out of Katrina's grip.

"This is just adorable." I couldn't help but say with a smile.

'Yes, well either way, we should be able to fit this way.' Masaru said clearly trying to stay dignified.

"He's right." Ryo said as he looked around, a critical eye going over each guardian. "We could have them scattered in the castle, so that they can still hear what's going on."

"The question becomes where in the castle should they go? We can't just have them right outside the door, the council would figure out what's going on." I said turning to Sesshomaru. "We don't know the layout of the castle that well. Where would be a good place for them to go?"

I watched as the western lord closed his eyes as if in thought before he began speaking. "The room Rin and the fox kit are staying in, as well as the one Ryo and Katrina is staying in. They are directly above the dining room." He said slowly and I could imagine he was visualizing the layout. "The guardians' presence in the kitchen would not be questioned if a few were to serve food; it would be considered part of the hospitality of the west. And there is a dungeon under the dining room that is empty at the moment."

"Ryo organize who goes where, but I still want three groups monitoring the outside of the castle." I said and Ryo nodded.

"I figured you would. Masaru's group is going to stay just outside the door pretending to be guards to prevent interruptions of the meeting." Ryo started then began looking around at the other groups. "Oak, Blaze and Kara's groups will monitor the castle gates." He said and only continued when he received nods from the respective guardians. "Bone and Boar, I want your groups in the dungeon. Kiara's group will be on kitchen duty. Fang's group will be in Katrina and my room. Dagger's group will be in Rin and Shippo's room. That leaves Blade's group." Ryo stopped as he ran out of places to put the guardians.

"How about they just walk through the castle? They'll keep their ears open but do so in a way that looks like you're just bored and wandering through the castle." I suggested and the others nodded.

"Sounds like a plan." Katrina said from where she had been going through the guardians and picking them up.

'We'll be ready an hour before dawn. That will give us time to get set up before the meeting starts.' Masaru said as he returned to his normal size, followed by the other guardians. 'We might as well get back to repairing the village.' He said and led the group.

I went to follow but was stopped as Sesshomaru's arm landed on my shoulder and he shook his head. "Council members are not to leave the grounds, or they forfeit their position." He said going back to the castle. "That includes Ryo and Sage."

"Wait, so we're trapped here for the next two days?" I asked in shock and watched as he nodded. "That's bullshit." I growled stomping after him into the castle with Ryo and Sage in tow.

"That kind of language is unfitting for a Lady." Ryo joked but jumped back as I swung.

"I'll show you unfitting." I huffed.

'You're both such children.' Sage said shaking his head. 'I'll be off to the library. There are some scrolls I would like to review.' He added and excused himself once we were back at the castle.

"I'm going to see what Shippo and Rin are up to." Ryo said heading towards the garden.

"I'm going to go too. Something is bothering Shippo and I'd like to find out what it is." I said and Sesshomaru gave the slightest of nods before walking off.

I arrived in the garden to see Ryo with a flower wreath on his head and laughed.

"Well don't you look pretty?" I taunted.

"At least I can still move comfortably and fight in this." He said and I narrowed my eyes with a small growl.

"Shippo." I called to the fox kit that was sitting a bit off watching.

"Hey Kazuko." He responded as I walked over to him. I checked the distance as I walked over. We were far enough so that Rin's human ears wouldn't pick up on the conversation, but Ryo's demon ears would.

"You've been down lately." I started and judged his reaction. He seemed to tense before he let out a sigh and nodded. "Is it because of what Lady Lily said?" I asked finally broaching the subject. I had wanted to give him time to sort things out. But with the major part of the meeting starting tomorrow, I knew we wouldn't have time before leaving.

"Kind of…" The kit started. "I always wanted to have my family back. Ever since the Thunder Brother killed them, I kept hoping I could find some kind of family. But I love being with you guys. Even Lord Sesshomaru isn't that bad to be around now that you are mates. You guys have been everything I could have hoped for in a family. I'm grateful to Inuyasha and the others, but I never got fully attached. They were of human blood and deep down I knew that they wouldn't be around for long, by demon standards. Then you came along, and then so did Ryo and Katrina and the guardians; and I've gotten really close because I know you guys will stay with me for a long time."

I listened to the kit talk while also taking in his features. It was easy to forget that he was in his twenties, especially though he looked five or six. Still his age reminded me that he was old enough to comprehend more than a human five-year-old could. He looked over towards Rin with obvious longing for a brief moment when talking about Inuyasha and the others. I stayed silence but the lights were coming on in my head as I watched him.

"There's something else, something about Rin." I said carefully. "Do you like her?"

"I do, but it wouldn't work." Shippo said with a sigh. "I still have almost a century before I reach maturity. In that time Rin will be…gone." He whispered.

As much as I wanted to tell him things could work out, I knew he was right. This wasn't just socially unaccepted, like with Inuyasha's parents. The fact was it would never work out biologically for the two.

"You're first crush." I said with a sad smile. I really wish this wasn't the way his first crush had to go. "Be her friend. That's what she wants from you. And don't worry so much. I'm more a hundred percent sure that you will find a special girl for you, and you'll be a great mate for her." I don't know why, but I placed my hand over my stomach and the thought of having my own pups crossed my mind, as I spoke to the kit.

The kit nodded as he listened to me and his green eyes sparked slightly to show that he was feeling a little better. I purposely didn't bring up the first topic. It was fine for him to talk it out to me, but I wanted the finally decision to be all his. We'd miss the kit if he left, but I wanted him happy.

"Rin would really like it if you could play tag with her." Ryo said as he came over and sat next to me, now almost covered in flowers. When the kit ran off he turned to me, and I knew he had heard everything. "You think he's going to stay in the north?"

"I don't know." I said with a shrug. "What do you think?"

"I hope not. I've grown to like the little guy." Ryo responded shaking the flowers off of his person. "But if he wants to go, I won't stop him."

"So when are you and Katrina going to mate?" I brought up in a tone so casual it sounded like I was asking for the time. Ryo choked as he looked up at me with wide eyes and a mouth gaping open. "Don't feed me any crap either. I know what I hear at night and I can see the way you guys look at each other." I said giving him a slight nudge.

"I'm surprised you can hear anything over what you and Sesshomaru do." He countered and I gave a playful growl that ended in a laugh. "But I think it will be soon. I was going to ask her tomorrow night. That way we can be mated before we go up north, and I won't have to worry about anyone else coming on to her."

"Good for you guys. From the first time I met you guys at the eastern castle, I had a feeling you would be together." I said then gave a sly look his way. "So when are you going to start having the little ones?" Again he coughed at the question.

"You're one to talk. When are you and Sesshomaru going to have kids? Hell, with how many times you two have done it, I'm surprised you're not pregnant yet!" He said with chuckle as I blushed.

"Shut up!" I said pushing on him again. Though Ryo was my cousin, he felt more like a brother.

We sat in a comfortable silence watching Rin and Shippo chase each around the garden.

"Are you coming north with us?" Ryo said as he never took his eyes off of the children.

"Of course I am? Why wouldn't I?" I asked genuinely confused and a bit offended at his question.

"You're mated to Sesshomaru." He said then continued quickly before I could interject. "Yes I know that you're still your own person and can make your own decisions, but that's not what I meant. I mean that, as much as I would prefer you had a different mate, he is bonded to you. I can tell that I've bonded to Katrina so I know what Sesshomaru is feeling. Just the thought of Katrina being away from me makes me feel like ripping something apart. Just imagine how he's going to feel when you go to another land for who knows how long. He's the western lord, so he can't just go with us. He has to stay here and look after his lands."

I hadn't thought of that before. Looking back I guess I should have thought about this, but I had been wrapped up in everything moving so quickly. I truly hadn't had any time to sit down and think everything through. Ryo was right; I had noticed the edge that appeared in the western lord when I was away for too long. I doubted that this training session would last a few days. Koru had told us that the most basic Ryu warriors trained for decades, and the elites trained for centuries. I was willing to bet that even Sesshomaru's patience didn't run that long.

"Talk to him about it." Ryo said after my prolonged silence.

"I guess that is the smartest choice, but the safest would be to leave in the middle of the night." I said with a light laugh at the end.

"I will in no way be a part of helping you sneak out of here. He'd kill us all." Ryo snorted though he did gave a small smile at my words. "If you're going to talk to him, you should probably do it soon. We all know Toro is up to something, and you can bet that he's going to put his plan into motion tomorrow. After that, we won't have time to discuss anything other than stopping Toro."

"You're right." I said standing and giving a light stretch. "Why don't you talk to Shippo? I tried to help the best I could, but I think hearing it from another male might help more." I said and walked off seeing Ryo nod out of the corner of my eye.

I made my way into the castle trying to pick up Sesshomaru's scent and followed it to his study.

'_Where else would he be?'_ I thought rolling my eyes and opening the doors to the study.

"Have you found knocking difficult?" Sesshomaru asked from his desk, one silver eyebrow raised slightly in my direction.

"Nope, just unnecessary." I said with a small smirk and closed the door behind me. "I wanted to talk to you about going north." I noticed his muscles tense and his jaw set lightly at the mention of my words.

"You intend to go." He didn't ask but stated.

"I have to." I responded and then took a breath before continuing. "My clan, what's left of it, has to be restored. We can't do that until Toro is out of the picture, and that can't be done until we've gotten stronger. I want to get stronger, and the training I need can only come from the north." I waited a few minutes but the western lord never responded. "Say something." I finally prompted, yet I still got silence.

**~Sesshomaru~**

She was right and she had a point. Yet the rational part of my brain was unable to think clearly due to my bonding instincts overriding my consciousness.

"He won't be able to answer you." Izu said as he came from the back of the study.

"Oh Izu, I didn't see you there." Kazuko said beginning to bow but was stopped by the old fox.

"You're lady of the west now. There is no need to bow to me." He said kindly. "Lord Sesshomaru will not be able to answer you because he is too conflicted. I have no doubt that he understands your point and agrees, but his bonding instincts aren't going to agree."

"So what do we do?" Kazuko asked.

"There is a sealing spell we could try." Izu said thoughtfully. I already knew which spell he was speaking of and gave a light growl. "It is the same one that was used on his father."

"The great dog general?" Kazuko asked in quiet wonder.

"Yes. As you may know he mated with a human. What most do not know, is that he bonded to that particular human. He had to send her to live with humans during her pregnancy so that she could be safe. I'm sure you can imagine his bonding instincts did not agree with this. So to prevent any irrational actions based upon his bonding instincts he had his bonding instincts sealed away."

"I never knew that." Kazuko whispered.

"Most do not. We could do the same for Lord Sesshomaru. By sealing away his bonding instincts it will allow you to train in the north without danger. There is a risk though." Izu said and continued when Kazuko narrowed her eyes in question. "The only way to seal the bonding instincts is the seal away the center of the instincts."

"His inner beast." Kazuko guessed.

"Correct and as you know for demons of your strength it is where the extremes of their strengths come from. Thus if sealed, he would be unable to fight at full strength. This is not a problem for everyday and ordinary demons. It only becomes a threat when a powerful enemy arises, as what happened to the general. The dragon, Ryukotsusei attacked while the general's inner demon was sealed. That is why the dragon was able to wound the dog general so badly."

"Wow." Kazuko murmured and turned to me as if asking my opinion on the matter.

I couldn't manage words to come from my mouth and settled for a light nod. Some part of me still refused to acknowledge letting a female have this much power presiding over myself. She could go and train and I would be just fine while she was away. I did not need to have her with me at all times. Or at least that is what I was trying to fool myself into believing.

"I'll begin arranging the preparations for the ritual." Izu said and scurried out of the office. He paused at the door and narrowed his eyes in complete seriousness. "Also this is to be kept completely secret. I'm sure I don't have to tell you what kind of trouble could come from anyone finding out about this."

~Kazuko~

Sesshomaru had told me that the fox fought side by side with the old dog general, and I had found it hard to believe given his current frailness. Yet as his eyes blazed I could fully see this fox as a deadly creature.

"You have my word." I said and watched him leave and close the door. "Are you sure you're ok with this?" I asked looking towards Sesshomaru. The only response I got was a long silence filled with the western lord's gaze refusing to meet mine. I took a moment to look past the dog demon to the window to see that night was already falling. _'Man time sure flies.'_ I thought and was prepared to leave until the study door opened on its own.

"So we're going to have a decade to train you three." Koru said as he entered with the northern lord and lady. "Don't worry, Izu told us because we need to know. You're secret will be safe with us lord Sesshomaru."

"The spell last a decade?" I asked in confusion.

"No but you'll have to be there for the next council meeting, which gives us a decade. No one can know that you're training in the north. It could be taken as a war alliance between the west and the north." The northern lady said.

"I understand. So when do we leave?" I never took my eyes off of Sesshomaru as he remained silent.

"We'll leave with everyone else in two days." The northern lord stated. "You three will leave the following night. We cannot chance anyone seeing you leaving with us. You will use the cover of night. Head to the border lands, Koru will meet you at the Shadow Falls."

"Where is the Shadow Falls?" I questioned having not heard of such a place.

"You'll know it when you see it." Koru said and shrugged. "If you can't find it I'm sure I'll find you three. Also not all of your guardians can come for obvious reasons."

"We'll find it." I responded.

The three northern council members nodded before dismissing themselves from the study. I turned with a sigh to face Sesshomaru again, this time walking so that I was behind his desk standing directly beside him.

"So are you going to be a statue for the rest of your life?" I huffed crossing my arms.

I was about to give up on trying to reach him when his chair moved.

He rose from the seat, his height towering so that I had to step back slightly to see his face. As I looked up to see his eyes I could see no trace of their usual gold, instead they were completely overcast with red. It was as if his beast knew it was going to be sealed away and had decided it was going to take over while it still could. His bonding scent drifted through the room as a deep musk that sent waves of haze through my mind.

It happened too fast for human eyes to follow. One moment we were in his study, the next we were in our room. He forgot, or just didn't care, to close the door and I was able to set a large enough blast of wind to close it. Clothes were shredded and possessive growls filled the quiet of the third floor, and most likely the entire castle.

~Ryo~

I felt the breeze as something or someone flashed by me. It wasn't until the scent of Sesshomaru's bonding scent and Kazuko's scent hit me that I realized it was them. I had been heading to tell Kazuko about my talk with Shippo but it was clear that the two of them were not going to want to be interrupted.

"Ryo you coming to bed or not?" Katrina's voice called as I stood outside of our room.

'_Well if you can't beat them, join them.'_ I thought and entered the room.


	23. Council Meeting: Day Two

**Howdy all.**

**Thanks everyone for all of the reviews, keep 'em coming.**

**I don't really have much to say on this chapter.**

**So I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'!**

**Enjoy! ^^  
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><p><strong>~Council Meeting: Day Two~<strong>

'_I am literally going to die of boredom.' _I thought as the second day of the council meeting slugged forward. The tribes and clans were as entertaining as watching paint dry, in the middle of winter, without the paint.

There had only been two real disputes to be voted on so far.

One was a rise of a new hunting ground that had been made accessible by the abandoning of a human village. It was located in between a hawk tribe and a snake tribe. Each claimed that it was essential to their tribes to have the food source.

The second dispute arose from a boar clan trying to widen its border into a lizard clan's territory. The boars stated that their clan had been steadily growing while the lizards had been decreasing, thus the borders should be moved to reflect the populations.

The rest of the leaders used the time as a chance to impress the lords with their feats of strength or eligibility of their children as mates.

I was on the edge of slipping off to sleep. Ryo was slumping slightly and shaking ever so slightly to keep himself awake. Even Sage's head was dipped though he managed to keep his eyes open. Sesshomaru looked indifferent as usual, but I could feel the boredom coursing through his aura.

"Does the Ryu-Inu clan have anything to bring forth?" Again Duma's voice startled me and I wasn't the only one. Ryo jumped slightly and Sage's head snapped up.

'_We look so professional.' _I thought with an inward roll of my eyes. "No there is nothing for us to report." I answered sitting up.

"Then we shall move onto the lords." Duma stated.

"The south has nothing new to report or dispute." The panther lord stated looking as bored as the rest of us.

"The north also has nothing to report." The northern lord added.

"The west has nothing to report." Sesshomaru said.

"The east has business to bring forth." Toro said and I had to suppress a growl.

'_Of course you do.'_ I thought sourly but remained quiet.

"As many know the Ryu-Inu clan's former leader broke the rule of sharing a Shogakko which led to the justified attack of their clan by my father." Toro started. "As is the law of the land, when the Ryu-Inu clan lost the war any survivors were to become prisoners of war and slaves to the east. At the time of the war there were thought to be no survivors of the clan, and now we see that there are three. Thus I declare that the Ryu-Inus are to be placed in the custody of the east as prisoners of war." Toro finished looking directly over to us.

'_What?'_ I thought just barely managing to hold my tongue. Beside and behind me I could hear Ryo and Sage growl.

The entire council looked up as we heard several growls and shouts from above and a few from outside the door. Once they died down the council began to whisper among themselves about Toro's demand.

"And…" Toro said his voice silencing the room. "Because the west helped the two Ryu-Inus in my custody escape, I demand that the mating between Lord Sesshomaru and Kazuko be broken and that Kazuko become my mate."

I didn't have time to think of anything as I felt the largest press of anger and rage I've ever felt wash through the room. The entire room fell silent as they looked towards the source of the wave. Sesshomaru's eyes were such a deep red that they looked black with glowing green slices for pupils. His focus was fully set on Toro and I had a feeling that this could get bad if it wasn't handled properly.

"Sage." I whispered quietly to the guardian.

'Got him.' The guardian said. He was able to move onto Sesshomaru's other side so that he could be restrained if needed.

"I would watch yourself, Lord Sesshomaru." Duma spoke getting the table's attention. "Lord Toro brings forth a valid point. Do you have anything to say Ryu-Inu clan?"

'I will handle this.' Sage said and then raised his voice so that the entire council could hear. 'At the time of the massacre the Ryu-Inu had promised the hand of Lady Kazuko to Lord Sesshomaru before the child's birth and before it was known that she was a Shogakko. As every member of this council knows, the laws of mating over ride all other laws. Lord Toro was already holding two Ryu-Inus as prisoners for almost two decades. The Ryu-Inu escaped on their own without the help of anyone else and gained their freedom that way. There was no help from the west in the escape from unjust enslavement.' As Sage finished and sat, I could hear the various leaders discussing both sides.

"If that is all, this council is dismissed. I advise all to retire for the day and think over today's events. Votes will be cast tomorrow at dawn." Duma said as its form left the room followed by the majority of the council. Toro lingered once everyone else was gone and gave a smirk in our direction.

"I suggest you pack up whatever you have. You all will be leaving with me." He said with a snorting chuckle as he left.

"Ryo get the door." I growled as Toro exited. He was just in time as Sesshomaru let out a snarl and jumped from his seat towards where Toro had been standing. "Everyone to the camp now!" I practically barked knowing all the guardians could hear me. "We'll be there shortly." I said to Sage and Ryo, trying to keep my own temper in check. The two nodded, left the room and closed the door behind them. "Sesshomaru." I said standing in front of the western lord. His eyes came down and searched me but seemed unable to recognize. He dipped his head to just over my mating mark and gave a sniff, the recognition dawning on his face. "Yes it's me." I said running one clawed hand through is silver hair.

"**Kazuko**." He, or rather his beast, growled softly.

"Trust me I'm as upset as you are, but we have to figure out a plan." I said. "So give me back Sesshomaru so we can work on this."

There were a few moments of hesitation. Thankfully, the red eventually receded revealing gold underneath and a still very pissed off Sesshomaru.

"That's better so let's go." I said and headed out of the room and towards the camp. Sesshomaru broke off to go somewhere, most likely his study. I had no doubt that he'd join when he was done.

I was just walking out of the front entrance when I picked up a slight snorting sound coming from around the right side of the castle. Figuring I had time to wait and cool down while the guardians relayed the information to each other, I walked around the right side to almost run into two large figures.

As I looked up, I recognized the figures as the leader and general of the Ryu-Tori of the east, the brothers Throe and Tohr. Seeing the two bulls brought a growl to my chest.

"I understand your hostility to those of the east." The leader Throe said and shook his head. "But we truly mean you no harm." I noticed he kept his voice low and sounded rushed.

"Then what do you want?" I asked eyeing each with caution.

"We're going to help you." Tohr said gruffly.

"Why?" I didn't trust them anymore than Toro at the moment.

"We want Toro off of the throne as much as you do. He calls himself the bull king, but that is only because he has practically enslaved the entire east. He is much worse than his father. He's taken all of the able bodied from our clan and forced them to fight under his service. Already this season we have lost thirteen." Throe said with unveiled anger. "Thus we will help you defeat him when the time comes for battle, though we will have to vote against you tomorrow. He must not know of our plan or we shall be destroyed as well."

"How do I know I can trust you?" I questioned.

"You cannot and we do not blame you if you don't. Just know that when the time for war comes, you will have allies already within enemy lines." Throe stated with utter seriousness in his expression.

The entire time the Ryu-Tori leader spoke I noticed waves of sadness and anger coming from his general.

"What has he done to you?" I asked softly looking straight at the general.

"My mate… she was of the Ryu-Inu clan. Toro had her killed to make sure that the entire bloodline was wiped out. She had been with child." The general grunted.

"I am sorry for your loss." I offered.

"There is one more thing. Toro is cleaver, but this kind of plan is out of his league. We've had reason to believe that he is working with someone else and now we're sure he is. We don't know who it is, but any information we get we'll find a way to get to you in the north." When I gave a gasp of surprise he shook his head. "Do not worry, I was told by your grandfather. Plans to overthrow Toro's bloodline have been long coming. That was another of the reasons that he wiped your clan out. Toro's father knew of the plans to overthrow him. We must go now and no one can know of this meeting. We wish you the best of fates Lady Kazuko." Throe said as he and his general walked off.

'_He's working with someone else?'_ I thought over the possibility as I headed for the campsite. _'Who the hell would work with that asshole?'_

**~Toro~**

"And you can ensure that I'll get the majority vote tomorrow?" I asked to the spider half-demon sitting across from me. I already knew that the unmated females would vote in my favor just so they could get a shot at having Sesshomaru for themselves giving me eight of the thirty-three votes to start with. It was the others I was more concerned about.

"Yes. You will get Sesshomaru's mate and the male Ryu-Inu and I will get the other female for my own mate." He responded his red eyes glowing with pure evil intent.

"Sesshomaru will surely start a war to get them back." I mentioned.

"And with my hordes added to your army ranks you will slaughter them all." Naraku said then added. "I'll only require a small portion of the land compared to the vast amount you will receive once Sesshomaru is dead."

"Then you have a deal Naraku." I said with a snort. "Now go before anyone catches wind of you being here."

But unknown to either demon a pair of blue eyes were locked on them. The observer didn't dare move until both demons were well out of sight and scent. It slunk off into the forest its brown fur and black scales blending in with the surroundings.

**~Kazuko~**

"I thought you said matings were for life." I huffed at Masaru.

'Canine matings.' He corrected and I rolled my eyes.

"Either way, why would Toro make a request that he knows can't be granted?" I questioned.

'It can.' Sage said with a heavy sigh. 'Duma has the power to dissolve matings and erase all traces of the mating bond. In my knowledge he's done it once. A few decades back a small tribe kidnapped the daughter of the southern lord and forced her to mate with the leader's son. They figured this way their son would inherit the southern lands. When the southern lord brought this to the council, Duma was able to dissolve the mating bond and ordered the clan eliminated.'

"No…" I whispered. Sure Sesshomaru and I were far from being the perfect mates but we were working on it.

"So what do we do?" Ryo growled as my silence dragged on.

"We must speak to the council members." Sesshomaru said as he joined the group. "We must gain their votes."

"Duma said that the parties involved couldn't vote. Does that mean everyone from the Ryu-Inu clan?" I asked.

"No, it would be just you, because you are the leader." Sesshomaru responded.

"I'm pretty sure we've got the northern lord, lady and general's vote." Ryo spoke up. "I know we have yours Lord Sesshomaru and the Ryu-Okami leader's vote. I think Kouga will vote in our favor because Kagome would hate him if he didn't. And of course you have my and Sage's vote. That's eight of thirty-three."

"So we need seventeen votes to get the majority." I thought aloud. "We can assume that Toro has his general's vote and the three Ryu-Tori votes."

"I will speak with the southern lord." Sesshomaru stated before walking off.

'Ryo, Sage and I will go speak with the Ryu-Neko clan.' Masaru said. 'Dagger, stay with Kazuko.'

"If we can get those votes it will give us fourteen votes total. We'd still be three short though." Katina stated.

"We may be able to work out a deal with one of the disputing clans. We can talk to the boar clan, and promise to vote in their favor if they promise to vote in ours, and then do the same for the hawk clan. That would bring our total up to sixteen votes, leaving us one short." I murmured. "But it would guarantee that the snake and lizard clans vote against us."

"It's a risk we'll have to take." Katina said with a grim expression. "Leaf and Swift come with me. We're going to talk to the boar and hawk clan."

"What will you do Kazuko?" Dagger questioned.

"I'm going to talk to Duma." I stated getting a slight gasp from the rest of the guardians. "We all know that Duma's vote is going to be a very important one, possibly even the tie breaker. I have to make sure we've tried everything we could to win this."

"Then we'll go with you." Oak stated as others stepped forward to go.

"No, I'm just taking Dagger. I don't want Duma to feel like we're trying to force a vote. It will be a simple discussion." I said shaking my head.

'Masaru won't be happy to hear of you going at this alone.' Shadow mentioned.

"That is why we're going now. So that we can be done before he gets back." I stated. "The rest of you can go back to repairing the village. We'll all meet up here at sun down to see how things went." I watched the other guardians grudgingly head back to the village.

'Well if we're going to get this done before Masaru hears about it, we best get going.' Dagger said and I nodded.

Just as we were going to enter the gates, a shadow fell over us. I looked up to see a brown and black form diving towards us.

'_What the hell.' _I thought jumping back as did Dagger. "Hawk?" I gasped in surprise as I recognized the guardian who landed before us.

'Kazuko! I have something very important to tell you!' She gasped out.

"Well make it quick we're in a hurry."

'Lord Toro is not alone in his plans. I overheard him speaking to a spider half demon about getting votes from the council.' Hawk said with coughs punctuating her words.

My eyes widened as I my gut clenched tightly at this knowledge. "The half demon, did you get a name?"

'Lord Toro called him Naraku.'

My blood seemed to freeze in my veins as I heard this. '_That's why Naraku had been so quiet lately; he's been working with Toro.'_ I thought. "Hawk I want you to come with us. I want you to relay what you saw to Duma."

'You're going to see Duma?' Hawk asked shocked.

"Yes." I said and headed for the castle. "We don't really have any other options right now." I lead the two guardians into the castle and up towards where Duma was staying. While the rest of the castle rarely stayed in their rooms during the day, Duma never left unless the council was meeting.

We were stopped by Duma's personal guard, a ferret demon, and advisor, a badger demon. "What business do you have here Lady Kazuko?" The ferret asked.

"We're come to speak with Duma." I said firmly as I kept a level stare at the two blocking my path.

"Duma is not taking visitors." The ferret said with a slight edge to his voice.

"I would think it is in bad taste to refuse a presence from the hosting party." I said having a slight growl in my voice.

"You question Duma's choices?" The badger asked angrily.

"Let them in." All in the hall fell silent as the voice came from within the room.

I couldn't resist the urge to smirk as the two moved and we were allowed into the room.

"Close the door." The voice spoke again and I closed the door once Dagger and Hawk were in.

"Duma." I said with a bow.

"There is no need for such my child." Suddenly the voice was no longer the confusing echo but rather that of a female that came in clear from the shadowy form before us.

"You are female." I stated in quiet wonder.

"Indeed I am." My amazement only intensified as the shadowy figure began to take a solid recognizable form. Multi-colored hair showed along with eyes that flickered from color to color so rapidly that they seemed to blur together. The form became that of a demoness, a dragon demoness.

Beside me both Hawk and Dagger gasped at the form.

"You are Duma?" I questioned.

"Indeed I am. I am Duma, mother of the dragons." She stated.

**~Sesshomaru~**

"You wish for our votes on the matter Toro has brought forth?" The southern lord, Ryku, guessed.

"Indeed and I ask so as the return of a favor that was done unto your clan many decades ago." I saw the southern lord tense but he did not respond immediately. He knew exactly what I was talking about. Several decades ago his daughter had been kidnapped and it had been my general who had found and rescued her from the clan that held her captive. Since then the south had had this favor hanging over their head. Panthers were very prideful so any chance to erase this debt would no doubt be taken.

"You have our vote Lord Sesshomaru." The southern lady said after many moments of her mate's silence.

"Thank you." I said with a dip of my head.

**~Ryo~**

"Masaru you are a trusted and good friend of the Ryu-Neko, but this is a serious matter. I will speak with Lord Ryku on the subject and see how he wishes." The Ryu-Neko leader, Noru, was saying as we had presented the case for them to vote on our side. "I'm sure you know how important it is that on such a major decision that I talk to Lord Ryku."

'We understand and we hope you shall come back in our favor.' Masaru said but it was clear from the thrash of his tail that he wasn't getting the answer he had expected.

"For your sake, so do I." Noru said as we walked off.

'We may have to consider alternative plans for should this vote go badly.' Sage mentioned getting a gruff snort from Masaru.

**~Katina~**

"You can promise us the votes of the western lord and lady, the Ryu-Inu general and advisor?" The boar leader asked skeptically. "You can swear to me those four votes?"

"Yes if you can swear to me your clan's votes." I answered with a light nod.

"You have truly given us something to consider." The boar replied. "You shall receive our votes in return for yours."

'Thank you.' Leaf said with a dip of her head.

**~Kazuko~**

"You're a…a…" No matter how hard I tried my mind was running too fast for me to grasp any one thought to express. Hawk and Dagger seemed stuck in a similar stupor.

"It is ok young one. This must come as a shock to you." Duma said with a gentle smile.

"Do they know?" I finally blurted out as I pointed towards the door.

"My guards know of my true nature." She said with a nod.

'Pardon my bluntness, but it was said that the dragons no longer existed.' Dagger commented.

"That is the rumor that we spread." She answered casually.

"I'm so confused." I said with a sigh and a shake of my head.

"I will tell you my story from the beginning. There is one condition; you must never tell anyone of what you've seen here and what I tell you." Her voice held the same seriousness that her eyes shone with as she looked us over.

"You have our word." I said with a bow.

"Make yourselves comfortable, for this is a long tale." She said taking a seat on her cot. I took a seat with Dagger and Hawk on either side of me sitting as well. "Centuries ago before any of dragon blood lived, demons lived in disorganized groups that lived barbarically. There was no diplomacy or codes of honor. It was a time of chaos where only the strongest lived to maturity and so many innocents were slaughtered, including the weak humans who had yet to develop tools and were still nomads.

The deities looked upon the chaos and had become fed up with the way things were going. They decided that they wanted to bring order and peace to the lands below, but the question was how. They debated for decades on how to do such things. They wished to keep from using their own godly powers as they felt that using them on such weaklings was beneath them.

Eventually they settled on an idea. They would create a race of peacemakers, and grant them powers far beyond that of any human or demon. They called these creatures Ryus and sent them down to earth to establish order in the chaotic demon ruled world.

The deities' plan worked at first. The Ryus were able to quell the needless fighting and help the humans learn how to farm and maintain a village so that they did not have to constantly wander into demon infested forest. The Ryus also divided the lands into the four sections they are now and appointed the first rulers of the land and wrote the honor codes all demons live by now.

For centuries peace reigned. The humans were becoming more advanced and intelligent as were the demons. The peace was broken as a renegade group of dragons began to rise up. They believed that with their superior abilities and intelligence, Ryus should be the ones ruling the world not acting as babysitters to the land's more primal creatures. A lot of Ryus began to have similar thoughts and soon the Ryus were enslaving all under their control.

The deities saw this and were angered. They had made the Ryus to keep watch over their other creations, not enslave them. Thus they destroyed all of the Ryus with the exception of two, me and the dragon Ryuukotsusei so that we could remain counselors to the humans and demons. But the deities did not want to see such potential go to waste. So they charged us with the task of finding clans that they could bestow the Ryu nature upon. We found four that proved loyal, wise, and compassionate; a Neko clan from the south, an Okami clan from the north, a Tori clan from the east and an Inu clan from the west.

We brought our findings before the deities and they agreed that the four clans were worthy of the nature and blessed the clans with the Ryu abilities they have today, thus creating the four Ryu clans. You have heard of what became of Ryuukotsusei, he also became power hungry and was destroyed. I am all that remains of the original Ryus and I serve as head of the council to maintain order." As Duma finished speaking the room was deathly quiet. It almost felt as if the whole castle had stilled to hear her story.

'What about us?' Hawk asked.

"As with most demon clans, the four we picked had animal partners that were a part of their clan. We granted those Ryu abilities as well, though not as prominent as their demon counterparts." Duma answered.

"You said that you originally picked an Inu clan from the west. Then why isn't Sesshomaru apart of the clan? He is of the west." I mentioned. It wasn't that I doubted the story. It was just that now I had so many more questions.

"At the time there were five Inu clans, instead of the two that remain. The clans were the sky Inus, shadow Inus, forest Inus, mountain Inus, and river Inus. The clan we chose was the forest Inus of the west. Sesshomaru is of the sky Inus, who were originally from the south." Duma was so patient with our inquiries; it almost seemed as if she wanted the questions.

"This is amazing." I breathed out quietly. As I sat in silence with the rest, I went through the information over and over in my head. I had just learned a secret that only six people in the world knew. Duma and her two guards, Hawk, Dagger, and me.

"You came to seek my vote in tomorrow's meeting." Duma brought up with a knowing smile.

"Yes, we know Toro is wrong, but we also know that without a majority vote in the council there is nothing we can do about it." I replied standing up.

"Do not worry. You have my vote; I would not see my own chosen clan reduced to such. It pained me greatly when word reached that the clan had been wiped out. I was so overjoyed when news of the three of you returning." She said coming forward so that she standing before me. "Regardless of the vote tomorrow, you will battle Toro. The only difference will be if you have to fight from within his grasp or free of it; and I will come to your aid. My days draw short. I am mortal as is all of this land, though my lifespan makes even a demons' seem like a blink of the eye. I have been alive for more centuries they you have history of. My final act shall be to see the Ryu-Inu clan restored in any way possible."

"Thank you very much, Lady Duma." I said with another bow.

"Now go and see your mate. I can feel his unease from outside the doors." She said with a kind smile. "Also, when you prepare for battle come and find me in the mountain known as The Belly of the Beast."

I looked past her towards the balcony and felt my eyes widen as I looked out. The moon was high and in the center of the sky. It was midnight! We had been in here for hours!

"Farewell Lady Duma." I said and led Hawk and Dagger outside of Duma's private quarters. We opened the door to see a worried Ryo and Katrina and a very pissed off Masaru standing next to an equally pissed off Sesshomaru.

'What do you think you're doing going to see Duma with only two guards?' Masaru demanded before I could even think to come up with something to say. Though Sesshomaru didn't say anything verbally his eyes spoke volumes on how much he agreed with the guardian leader.

"You were all busy." I said, it was only half a lie.

"You should have waited." Sesshomaru spoke and I rolled my eyes as I walked past him.

"Of course father. I'll be sure to do so next time." I drawled sarcastically as I headed for the stairs that lead to the private floor.

'This isn't the end of this conversation.' Masaru called after me as he led the guardians out of the castle.

"I'm sure." I called back and waved to Ryo and Katrina who left as well.

I could feel, rather than hear, the western lord ascending the steps behind me. His aura still read slightly ticked off but for the most part he seemed relieved. I guess I could see why he was worried. I had gone to see a creature that was thought to be otherworldly, deadly and cruel. The otherworldly and deadly parts were right, but I now knew that Duma was in no way cruel.

"Did they get the votes?" I asked as we arrived to our shared room. Though I felt tired I knew the matter needed to be discussed before I could find any form of peaceful sleep.

"The south has agreed as have the boars and hawks." Sesshomaru answered as he disrobed and adorned a simple pair of black hakama pants. I likewise changed into a blue sleeping kimono.

"Good. We have Duma's vote as well." I said and I felt a wave of disbelief come from the dog demon before he was able to return to his usual indifference. "You bet we do." I answered his unspoken question. "I think Toro will be in for a big shock tomorrow when his plan doesn't work out." I said then grimaced.

"What is it mate?" Sesshomaru questioned from where he had lain on our cot summoning me to him. I made myself comfortable on his chest and his arms found their way around my waist. I took a moment to enjoy his presence before I answered.

"Toro is not alone in his plans. He is working with Naraku." I said and felt his muscles tense. "My thoughts exactly. But let's not worry about that now. First let's make sure Toro's plan doesn't go through and then we can worry about Naraku. I know you won't like it, but if Naraku is involved Inuyasha's group will show up eventually."

"I see no need to involve my half-brother." The western lord grunted.

"_Our_ brother will show up whether we involve him or not. We might as well take the help." I responded.

"Hn." He responded and I smiled.

"I'm glad you agree." I teased before settling down to sleep.


	24. Council Meeting: Day Three

**Howdy everyone!**

**Not much to say for this chapter but just a reminder: the more reviews the faster I update. Don't worry I still update no matter what, but the reviews help inspire me to do it quicker. :D**

**Other than that, I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

**Enjoy. ^^  
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><p><strong>~Council Meeting: Day Three~<strong>

"I would feel a hell of a lot better if I could bring my blades." Ryo grumbled as we descended the staircase and headed for the dining room. I was too tired to do anything but give a huff of agreement.

Despite my best efforts, sleep did not come last night. I don't know why I even thought it would.

'Your weapons are being held by Dagger.' Sage commented.

"Good. Let's just hope we don't have to use them." Ryo responded taking a seat.

"After this, I'm going to sleep for a year." I mumbled trying to muster up the energy to eat the food placed before me.

"Where's Lord Sesshomaru?" Ryo brought up.

"I don't know. He was already gone this morning when I woke up. I assumed he came here." I answered. "Are you still going to ask Katina tonight?"

"If everything goes right." Ryo seemed to brighten considerably as he answered. His mood returned to tense as the rest of the council began to fill the room.

Unlike the previous two days, where everyone engaged in small talk, the table was dead silent. A lot of looks were cast towards us, specifically in the direction of the missing western lord. A few more looks flashed to the empty seat where Toro was also missing.

"You don't think he would have tried to settle this with Toro outside of the meeting?" Ryo questioned silently.

'Lord Sesshomaru may not like Toro, but he's not going to risk the punishments that would come from doing such a thing.' Sage said though even he sounded a bit unsure.

"That's rational Sesshomaru. I'm talking about bonded male Sesshomaru." Ryo responded.

"Don't you think if those two have gone at it, we would have heard or sensed something?" I stated.

"Yea I guess." Ryo huffed.

Breakfast continued as silently as it began the only vocalizations coming when someone asked for more food or wanted their food taken away. I took in the faces around the table towards the other council members trying to get a read on the mood. It was clear from the silence that everyone seemed a bit tense.

A few, or rather all, of the unmated females were sending very smug looks in my direction.

'_Not like I expected them to be on my side.'_ I thought sourly.

"We shall begin." Duma called, the shadowy figure seeming less threatening now that I knew the dragoness behind it. The staff cleared the table and the other council members looked towards the two empty seats.

"Two members are missing." The southern lord brought up gruffly.

"They are here." Duma stated just as the doors opened to reveal Toro followed by Sesshomaru. Both looked fine, no signs of a fight. "First to order shall be the voting of the hunting dispute between the hawk tribe of the north and the snake tribe of the east. My vote is in favor of the hawk tribe."

The rest of the council gave their votes one by one moving around the table until it came back to Duma. The hawk tribe won the rights to the hunting grounds by three votes.

"Next is the vote on the border change between the boar tribe of the south and the lizard clan of the north. I cast my vote in favor of the boar tribe of the south." Duma continued seeming almost hurried in the voting.

Again the council cast their votes moving around the table. The boar clan won by four votes.

'_We held up our end of the deal, now they better hold up theirs.' _I thought as I looked towards the hawk and boar leaders.

"Now on to the final vote of this council session, the dispute of war claims by Lord Toro of the east against the Ryu-Inu clan of the west." Duma stated and everyone seemed to straighten as the issue was brought forth. "I shall withhold my vote until last."

Inwardly I grimaced. I had hoped that if the others saw Duma vote in our favor, it could sway a few more who may have been still in the middle.

First to vote was hawk tribe.

"I, Highfeather, leader of the northern hawk tribe, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." The leader spoke confidently.

Next up was the snake tribe. I could see the bitterness in the leader's eyes from having lost the vote.

"I, Kolvi, leader of the eastern snake clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." The snake hissed his eyes staying narrowed.

The vote then went to the boar clan.

"I, Haggar, leader of the southern boar clan, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." The boar snorted.

Following the boars, came the lizard clan's vote.

"I, Deo, leader of the northern lizard clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." He stated in a hiss similar to the snake leader.

I inwardly grimaced as the vote reached the stretch of unmated female leaders. First of them was a lynx demoness.

"I, Lia, leader of the southern lynx clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." Her stare lingered on Sesshomaru with obvious longing before looking at me with unhidden smugness.

The next was a fox demoness.

"I, Yura, leader of the northern fox clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." Her gaze was the same, though at least she made a minimum effort to keep it hidden.

She was followed by a bear demoness, who was probably one of the largest creatures I'd ever seen.

"I, Kova, leader of the eastern bear tribe, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." She grumbled her voice also deeper than every other female in the room and some of the males.

She was quickly followed by a tiger demoness.

"I, Kira, leader of the southern tiger clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." She said so quickly the beginning of her sentence had overlapped the end of Kova's sentence.

Next was a demoness that I couldn't accurately describe, but smelled strongly of the sea.

"I, Arie, leader of the western sea clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." She said.

The next to vote was a harpy demoness.

"I, Skyhunter, leader of the southern sky clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." She said her voice as melodic as I expected a harpy's to be.

The next was a rodent demoness of some sort.

"I, Silver, leader of the western weasel clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of east." She said.

The last of the unmated females was a small rabbit demoness.

"I, Sia, leader of the eastern hare clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." Her voice was quiet but her eyes were sharp.

'_Thank goodness we're out of that trap.'_ I thought as there were no more unmated female council members left to vote. It still left us down ten to two.

The next vote came from another sea demon tribe.

"I, Zi, leader of the southern sea clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." He stated and I inwardly groaned. We were only falling further and further behind. I could feel Ryo and Sage sharing my frustration.

I chanced a glance over towards Toro and immediately wished I hadn't. He was sitting as if he had already won the vote. Once he caught me looking his way he gave the most disgusting wink and smirk I'd ever seen.

Next up was a horse clan.

"I, Entei, leader of the western horse clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." He stated.

I relaxed slightly as Kouga was up next.

"I, Kouga, leader of the western wolf tribe, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." He announced.

Next up was the Ryu-Tori clan.

"I, Throe, leader of the Ryu-Tori clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." Even as he spoke I could hear the regret, cementing my thought that I could trust him.

"I, Sia, lady of the Ryu-Tori clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." Throe's mate said softly.

"I, Tohr, general of the Ryu-Tori clan, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." The general said with hatred pouring from him in the direction of the eastern lord.

I could feel a real sense of panic beginning to rise as I went through the count. We were now down fifteen to three. With only thirty-three voting members, Toro only needed two more votes to win the majority.

The Ryu-Neko clan voted next.

"I, Noru, leader of the Ryu-Neko clan, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." The feline leader said giving a nod in our direction. Ryo visibly relaxed leading me to believe Noru's vote hadn't been as secure as I had been told.

"I, Tyro, general of the Ryu-Neko clan, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." The other feline said.

The Ryu-Okami clan cast their votes next.

"I, Kiba, leader of the Ryu-Okami clan, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." The wolf leader said solemnly.

"I, Duro, general of the Ryu-Okami clan, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." The general added. This was good we were gaining ground even though we were still down fifteen to seven.

The vote then came to our clan, and as leader I was not permitted to vote.

"I, Ryo, general of the Ryu-Inu clan, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." Ryo said giving me a small smile as he did.

'I, Sage, advisor of the Ryu-Inu clan and western lady, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan.' He barked lightly.

Last up were the lords. First to go was the southern lord.

"I, Ryku, lord of the southern lands, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." The panther demon said wryly as if he had been forced into the vote.

"I, Zira, lady of the southern lands, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." The panther demoness said, sounding no better than her mate.

"I, Liro, general of the southern lands, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." A rather large panther demon said.

Next up was the east. Luckily Toro couldn't vote either and I smirked as I saw his smugness fading. As much as I wanted to rub it in the bull's face, we were still down fifteen to twelve.

"I, Tai, general of the eastern lands, cast my vote in favor of Lord Toro of the east." The shadow fox stated.

Next came the north.

'I, Di, lord of the northern lands, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." The northern lord stated sounding as jolly as always.

"I, Lily, lady of the northern lands, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." The northern lady said with an unreadable expression directed at me.

"I, Koru, general of the northern lands, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." The Ryu-Okami general said with a brief smile in our direction.

The final council member, besides Duma, came around.

"I, Sesshomaru, lord of the western lands, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan." He said indifferently as always. I had to restrain myself from jumping for joy as his vote tied things up.

Even though no one had been speaking, except when the votes were being cast, the room seemed to have every ounce of sound sucked out of it. Everyone's eyes fell onto the shadowed figure of Duma as it registered in that Duma's vote would provide the tie-breaker.

Even though I had spoken with Duma the day before and knew her vote, I could still feel my skin prickle with unease.

I chanced a glance towards Toro, who looked ready to murder everyone who had voted against him.

"I, Duma, overseer of this council, cast my vote in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan. Thus the majority is in favor of the Ryu-Inu clan and they will remain free of eastern hold." Duma's voice drifted around the room echoing even louder in the silence.

At first no one moved and no one made a sound until loud cheering broke out from above and outside the door, the guardian's having clearly heard everything. With that break in the silence the rest of the council began to converse among themselves. I couldn't help the smug look that I cast out to all of the females that had voted against us.

Toro looked ready to attack, but at least he had enough sense not to do anything with so many witnesses.

"I hereby declare this council session over. We will resume in a decade's time at the northern castle." Duma said leaving with her guard and advisor.

The rest of the council quickly left, most in a hurry to return to their clans and tribes and to, no doubt, relay all that had happened. Again Toro was at the end of the group and stopped just before where I was still seated.

"This isn't over. I will have you." He snorted but was warded off by a feral and possessive snarl from Sesshomaru.

As Toro left the hall became flooded with guardians followed by Katina and Shippo.

"You did it." Shippo commented.

"We did it." I said allowing myself to feel at ease, something I hadn't been able to do since the council meeting had started.

"Toro isn't done yet." Ryo said as he gave a hug to Katina.

"True, but that's why we're going north to train. When we finish our training, we'll take this to him and settle it once and for all." I said becoming direly serious as I thought about it before returning to relaxed.

**~Toro~**

"You said you would get me all of the votes I needed to win!" I snorted at the half-demon who was currently walking beside me on the way back east.

"I swayed those who you told me to sway." He said in a voice that made me want to rip his head off. "This simply means that our plan of attack will have to change slightly. Our combined forces are more than enough to destroy the west. There are only a small number of the Ryu-Inu they won't make a difference in this upcoming war, especially being as untrained as they are."

"This is your last chance half-demon. Fail me again, and you will be killed." I grunted and watched as the spider disappeared in a toxic cloud.

**~Shippo~**

'Why are you telling me if this is supposed to be a secret?' Swift was asking as he shifted uneasily.

I didn't blame him. We were currently in the library with Kazuko, Ryo, Katina, and the advisor Izu. Izu had just told us of the plan to temporarily seal Lord Sesshomaru's beast.

"You're the fastest and best long distance runner. If something should happen while we're gone, we would be depending on you to tell the guardians at the village and then come and tell us in the north." Kazuko said.

'This is a really big secret.' Swift mumbled.

"And we trust that you'll be able to handle it.' Katina said petting the guardian.

'Ok, I'll keep the secret until you four get back.' Swift said and excused himself from the library.

"So how's this going to work?" Kazuko asked.

"It's like the one that was used on the three of you." Izu said motioning to Kazuko, Katina and Ryo. "Only it will require two steps. Your spells completely locked away everything demon about you. We're going to lock away only Lord Sesshomaru's beast. It'll be done outside, because once we beginning the sealing, his beast will fight it and he will most likely transform."

"Ok so what are the two steps and will you need us?" Ryo asked.

"Katina will assist but you can't. If Lord Sesshomaru senses another male nearby, it will only make the spell that much harder to complete. Don't worry about me. I'm too old to be of any competition and his beast will sense it." Izu commented. "As for the spell, it will consist of a constraining part and a sealing part. We'll have to constrain his inner demon before we're able to seal it away."

"When are we going to do this?" Kazuko asked sounding partially pained.

"The northern lord expects you tomorrow night correct?" Izu asked and then continued when everyone nodded. "Then we will do this tomorrow morning. Hopefully we can be done by evening."

"What the hell is with everyone getting up so damn early?" I heard Kazuko mumble.

"Is there anything that is needed?" Katina asked.

"No I have gathered everything needed. Just be ready at dawn." Izu said going to his cot and picking up a scroll to read.

"Let's go see what the guardians are up to." Ryo said leading the way out of the library.

"I'll catch up with you later. I'm going to take a quick nap first." Kazuko said as she headed for the stairs with a yawn.

**~Kazuko~**

'_I'm so tired.'_ I thought as I made my way up to my mated room. Even Inuyasha had waited until the sun had completely risen before making us get up. Hopefully I could now go get a nap in. _'Or not.'_ I thought as I opened the door.

I was faced with an oh-so-very naked demon lord, whose eyes flashed the same dark red I had seen yesterday.

"Let me guess, I'm not dealing with Sesshomaru right now, am I?" I asked and answered with a smirk that revealed elongated fangs. _'Damn it, I'm getting rest one way or another.' _I thought as I released my consciousness to my inner demon, which was all too happy to take over.

**~Ryo~**

'Damn.' Dagger mumbled as the conversation was interrupted by a roar that I had, unwillingly, become familiar with. Though, it had never reached his far before.

"So much for a nap." Katina said with a giggle. "We all know what that means."

"What?" Shippo asked with curiosity beaming in his eyes.

"You'll find out when you're older." I answered shaking my head.

Masaru gave a small cough before continuing to talk. 'As I was saying, General Kovu says that each of you is permitted to bring one guardian. This includes Shippo since he is as much a member of this pack as anyone else here. I want you to take Dagger, Hawk, Leaf and Swift.'

'I can't go.' Swift said.

'Why not?' Masaru asked turning around to face the yellow furred guardian.

'Lady Kazuko has given me a task. I will be staying at the western castle.' Swift responded, his gaze never meeting Masaru's.

'What task is this?' Masaru questioned. I imagine that if he had had eyebrows, they would be raised in question.

'I can't tell you. I've sworn secrecy.' Swift said looking towards Katina, Shippo and I for some kind of help.

'I'm guess you three know what this secret task is.' Masaru asked and we nodded. 'And you can't tell me what it is either?'

"We would if we could. But this is a private matter concerning the royal family of the west." I said with a shrug. "We can tell you once we return from the north."

'Very well, then Oak will go instead of Swift. Since none of you know where the Shadow Falls is, I'll take you there tomorrow night.' Masaru said still sounding upset at being left out of the secret. 'The rest of us will remain here and work on the village.'

"We'll try and keep in touch." Katina said with a soft smile.

'What about this Naraku? We've never heard of him.' Dagger brought up. 'If he's working with Toro, we need to know what he's capable of.'

"We don't really know much about him. Kazuko would be able to fill in information when she's not…um so busy." I answered.

"I know all about Naraku. He's an evil half-demon that used to be human." Shippo spoke up. "The group I traveled with before, they are hunting him. I know a lot about him."

'Then tell us all you know kit.' Masaru said.

Shippo seemed to brighten a bit as he began telling the stories of the spider half-demon. From the tales he told, it was clear that this Naraku could be an even bigger threat than Toro. The two of them together was going to make our goal several folds harder.

"I'll bet Inuyasha and the rest of the group would be willing to help if they knew Naraku was behind this." Shippo concluded.

'Perhaps but those you speak of are mostly human.' Masaru said and then shook his head when he got a questioning look from the rest of us. 'I do not mean that they are weak because they are human. I mean that our attack is a decade's time away, at the least. Humans age in a much faster and more severe way than we do. In a decade's time, they would be too old for this kind of battle. The half-demon Inuyasha and the fire neko Kilala might be able to help, but the rest most likely won't.'

"Oh." Shippo commented quietly.

"Hey why don't we go visit them?" I brought up. "We'll be gone for a whole decade. We should go see them before we go." Shippo nodded and his mood picked up slightly.

'Take Shadow, Kara and Moon with you.' Masaru called as we turned to leave the village.

"He's like an over-bearing father." Katina said and I nodded.

I couldn't blame him though. We were all that was left of a clan he'd known for centuries. It was only natural that he would be a bit more intent on keeping us safe.

"Let's go get Kazuko and head for the village. We can make it there, stay a while and make it back before midnight." I said and sprinted back to the castle, with Shadow, Kara, Moon, Katina and Shippo in tow.

**~Kazuko~**

"I swear everyone besides me is against sleep." I grumbled as I listened to Ryo talk about going to visit Inuyasha. Even with Ryo and Katina able to fly now, it would take almost three hours to reach the village at full speed and it was only two hours from dusk. _'But I suppose we should tell them that Naraku is in the east. I'd never hear the end of it if Inuyasha found out I knew where Naraku was and didn't tell him.'_

"That's why we're leaving right now." Ryo said with a grin.

"Do you think Lord Sesshomaru might like to come? It is his brother." Katina questioned. Sesshomaru made what could be counted as a snort and walked off.

"Trust me there is nothing brotherly between the two of them." I said and shook my head. "We'd just end up breaking up a fight if he came."

"Then let's go." Ryo said as he transformed into his smaller form. I sighed and followed suite as did Katina.

'Hop on Shippo.' I said, since the kit couldn't fly in his transformed form. Once the kit was settled in I gave a shake of my wings and took to the skies in the direction of Kaede's village. I could hear five sets of wings behind me.

**~Kagome~**

"I'm just saying that I don't see why you need to go back for those tests? You keep saying that you're not doing well, so why go?" Inuyasha was complaining as usual after I told him that I was going home for a few days.

"I still have to try!" I shouted at him. He was about to grumbled something, I could see it in his eyes, but something grabbed his attention and he turned away from me.

"What is it Inuyasha?" Miroku asked from where he, Kilala and Sango had been watching.

"Those mutts are coming and it appears they have friends." Inuyasha said. Even though he sounded sour I could see the smirk on his mouth.

As with all of Kazuko's arrivals, we heard her before we could see her. A loud howl preceded the violet blur that crashed into Inuyasha.

"That will never get old." Kazuko said as she shifted back to her more human form and got off of Inuyasha.

Five others landed behind her in a more graceful manner. I recognized two as Ryo and Katina but couldn't place the other three, though they looked like Ryu-Inus. I gave a smile as I saw Shippo sitting on Kazuko's shoulder. Though he still had the same body, something about him seemed older and more mature.

"It's so good to see you three are ok." I said going forward to offer Kazuko a hug.

"Same to you guys." Kazuko said and must have noticed our looks to the three newcomers. She smiled and walked over to the three who hadn't transformed. "These are some of the Ryu-Inu guardians, I'll tell you the whole story later. He's Shadow," She said pointing to the most dangerous looking one that had black fur, black scales and red eyes. "She's Kara." She pointed to the one with brown fur, yellow scales and green eyes. "And she's Moon." She said pointing the last one who had silver fur, black scales and golden eyes.

"It is nice to meet all of you." I said going over hesitantly.

"Don't worry. They're nice." Kazuko said as I reached to pet the one she called Kara. The guardian watched me with eyes as intelligent as any I had seen, but showed no sign of hostility. I hesitated as the guardian gave a small growl. "She says you smell nice."

"Thank you." I replied with a smile. "So what brings you here?"

"We wanted to stop by and say hi. We're going to be gone for a decade. We're going to train in the north with the Ryu-Okami." Kazuko said.

"A whole decade?" Sango gasped out. "I suppose for demons, that isn't long." She added quietly.

Looking at the demons standing across from us it finally dawned on me.

They were different.

Compared to them, we humans were only here for a brief second in time. As I saw Shippo standing with them, I also realized that he was the same. I had always thought that he would come back to us after he had learned more about being a demon. Yet I knew he had more years left as a "child" than I had in my entire lifespan.

"We also wanted you guys to know that we know where Naraku is." Kazuko said as the silence stretched on.

Inuyasha, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "Where is that bastard?"

"He's in the east plotting with the eastern lord on overthrowing the west." Kazuko said sounding more concerned about it than I would have expected her to.

"I guess you mutts aren't so useless after all." Inuyasha grunted, earning himself seven sets of growls. I was shocked as Shippo had also given a convincing growl. "Hold on." Inuyasha said as he stepped right up to Kazuko. "You reek of Sesshomaru."

"You reek of you." Kazuko retorted.

"What's that on your neck?" Inuyasha said reaching for the collar of Kazuko's kimono.

Before he could reach he was shoved aside by Shadow who gave a serious of deadly snarls towards Inuyasha.

"He's right Inuyasha." Shippo stated. "Sesshomaru may go easy on you normally, but if you mess with his mate he'll kill you."

"Mate?" I echoed in confusion.

"It's like marriage, except that it's life-long, or at least for canine demons it is." Sango clarified.

"When were you going to tell us you mated Sesshomaru?" I shouted rushing over to Kazuko but stopped short when I got a few growls.

"I was about to." Kazuko answered rolling her eyes. "Somehow everyone else gets to break the news for me." She added with a smile.

"So that makes you lady of the west." Miroku stated and received a nod. "Congratulations."

"So when are you going to start having kids?" I squealed. Kazuko went from normal to extremely pale to a bright blush in a matter of seconds as she shook her head.

"Whoa slow down. We have years before I even begin considering that." She said with a slight choke to her voice.

"I bet they'll be so cute." I said.

"They will also be imaginary for the next few decades." Kazuko said. She paused and turned back in the direction she had come from, as did Katina, Ryo, Shippo and the three guardians; even Inuyasha's ears flicked in the same direction.

"What the hell is that?" Inuyasha snorted.

"That would be notice that should get home." Kazuko said with a shrug. "It was nice seeing you guys. We'll stop by when we get done with training."

"Let's run it. It'll take an extra hour or so, but I think it's good that Shippo gets the practice." Ryo said.

'_Shippo?'_ I thought and gasped as Kazuko, Ryo, Katina, and Shippo transformed. I wanted to ask how he was the same size as the rest of them, but I could tell they were anxious to get home.

The seven of them seem to discuss something before lifting their heads to give a howl that I assumed to be an answer to the one I hadn't heard before. Even though his fox howl was slightly different than the others, Shippo's voice still blended in with the others. As they stopped their howls and took off into the forest at a hard sprint, I knew that, no matter how much I wished otherwise, Shippo's home was with the Ryu-Inus now. He had found where he belonged.


	25. Are You Serious

**Howdy all!  
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><p><strong>~Are You Serious?~<strong>

"Are you tired?" Katina questioned and I shot her a glare. Katina was in a particularly bright mood. I could guess it had a lot to do with the new mark she was sporting on the left side of her neck. It was a yellow dragon-dog with a red outline.

"What was your first clue?" I grumbled as yet another yawn escaped me. I had, yet again, had a night of very little sleep. With Sesshomaru's beast knowing it was being sealed, it was particularly insistent last night on certain activities.

"There, everything is ready." Izu called from where he had been making marks in the ground. We were about a mile or so from the castle in a huge clearing. It could easily fit ten or more demons in their true forms. "The only thing the two of you need to do is keep Lord Sesshomaru in the circle. I will do everything else." He said pointing to the larger of the circles he'd drawn.

I looked around the large circle that Izu had drawn and the markings he had placed around the edge. The circle was wide enough to accommodate Sesshomaru should he transform.

"That's all?" I asked thinking this might just be easier than I thought.

"Yes but I would suggest that you not underestimate the simplicity." Izu remarked as if he was guessing my thoughts. "For the time that you will be restraining him, Lord Sesshomaru's consciousness will be completely gone leaving his beast to run wild."

"Ok, we'll keep that in mind." I said stretching in an effort to wake myself up a bit more. "So how long will this spell last and what about releasing the spell?"

"This is a spell that I created for the Dog General. He was the only one it was tested on and unfortunately he passed before I could fully study the spell. So the length of time it will hold is questionable. By my studies it should last a decade's time. I have the release spell so that is not a problem, but the release will take a week to complete. Thus I will do the release spell two weeks before the council meeting in the north." Izu said as he took a seat in a smaller circle that was a few feet away from the largest one.

"Guess we're starting." Katina said as she motioned to where Sesshomaru had entered the clearing.

He wore no armor and his weapons were not on his person. His facial expression was as indifferent as always though his movements did seem a bit tense.

"Lord Sesshomaru." Izu greeted, doing his best to bow from his seated position. "If you'll move to the middle of the circle we can begin." He said and then turned to Katina and I as Sesshomaru walked. "You must not enter the circle until I complete the first part. If you enter, your inner demons will also be sealed. Do not worry, the first part is merely the constraining part, it is the sealing part that his demon will rebel against."

When we nodded Izu turned back to the western lord who had reached the center of the circle and was facing the three of us. The old fox took a deep breath before he began to chant in a foreign tongue.

As he chanted I could make out shifts in the ground where the symbols outside the large circle were. I squinted to see that the symbols were rising from the ground with long streams of other characters behind them; they reminded me of a chain from the way they looked. The symbols slunk their way towards the middle of the circle. Once the symbols reached Sesshomaru they began to snake themselves onto his skin and began imprinting themselves on the western lord. The process moved surprisingly fast and soon all the symbols were now laid in lines circling along the dog demon's body.

"The first part is now complete. You can step in the circle now." Izu said. "Remember, you must keep him in the circle until I say. Also keep him on the ground. If he flies, it won't work."

"Yay." I said rolling my eyes. "Let's just get this over with."

"I am beginning the sealing." Izu said as he began his chanting again.

The symbols on Sesshomaru went from inky black to blazing red, which also matched the change in Sesshomaru's eyes.

"Let's go ahead and transform." I said as I transformed to full size. 'I can see my house from here.' I barked with a slight laugh as I looked over to the western castle.

'You're special.' Katina said as she rose beside me, standing an inch or so shorter than me.

'No I'm tired.' I corrected.

'Ready?' She barked.

'Do I have a choice?' I asked.

'No.' She responded with a grin.

Katina's grin faded as we felt a blast of Sesshomaru's aura and turned to see him standing in his true form. He had us by at least five feet. The symbols were still covering his body, making a sharp contrast to his silver fur. The western lord wasted no time in trying to get to Izu in an attempt to stop the spell.

'Oh no you don't.' Katina said placing herself in front of the fox and sending a blast of wind to keep Sesshomaru back.

He let out a snarl and changed his attention to Katina, but I was able to get behind him and give a sharp nip to the end of his tail. With a loud snarl the western lord turned towards me, Katina did the same thing.

'If we can keep him distracted and unable to focus on one of us, we may be able to avoid a direct fight.' I suggested. _'Or not.'_ I thought as the western lord still continued to charge towards me and rammed his head into my shoulder. I barely managed to stay on all four paws as the force of the hit knocked some of the air from my body. Making sure to keep my claws as out of the way as possible, I swiped across his muzzle.

'I don't think we'll be able to avoid a fight.' Katina whined as she tried to regain the western lord's focus.

'Yea, I was just thinking the same thing.' I growled. 'In that case just make sure that his focus stays on me then.'

'Why?' Katina questioned.

'. He won't seriously injure or kill me no matter how riled up his beast gets, but you on the other hand...' I trailed off knowing she would understand where I was going with this. 'I'd never hear the end of it from Ryo if something happened to you.'

'Ok, but it seems like he's more interested in getting to Izu than either of us. We're just in his way.' Katina muttered as Sesshomaru turned his attention back to the fox.

'Then we'll just have to stay in his way.' I said bunching my muscles together and jumping onto the dog demon's back. I landed with my front paws on his shoulder, my hind paws on the ground and my fangs gripping his scruff. _'Damn I'm not heavy enough.' _I thought as the western lord stumbled but stayed up though I continued to try and pull him down.

'Good idea.' Katina called as she rushed to my side and nipped at Sesshomaru's paws to off balance him. It worked and the western lord fell onto his side.

I maintained my hold but the bastard rolled so that I was caught under him. I tried not to give in, but with my grasp on his scruff I had no room to breathe around his fur and the dirt which forced me to let go. Out of frustration, I made sure to take a good amount of fur with me as I yanked away.

Katina seemed intent on going over me to make sure that I didn't have any injuries but I shook her off. We watched as Sesshomaru got up to his paws again.

'Eww he's drooling.' Katina murmured.

'I don't think that's drool.' I mentioned and was confirmed as we watched some of it fall and the ground beneath begin to sizzle. 'Nope, definitely not drool, large amounts of lethal poison.'

'Guess we shouldn't get too close.' Katina suggested.

'It's best that we don't.' I agreed. 'The question becomes, how do we stop him now.'

'We're not that bad at mid-range attacks and I've been working on my attacks along with the healing spells.' Katina stated. 'If you stay on the ground, I can attack from the air.'

'Go for it.' I said and watched as she rose up a few feet above the western lord. 'Cut that out.' I barked as I saw Sesshomaru's cloud forming to form beneath him, signaling that he was about to take to the air. Placing my front paws firmly in front of me I was able to summon mounds of dirt to pack on his paws to keep him from rising. His head turned swiftly to snap at me. I was able to jump out of the way but some of the poison flew from his mouth and caught me on the shoulder. _'Damn that hurts.' _I thought and resisted the urge to roll in the dirt to get it off.

Despite the dirt, Sesshomaru was doing a pretty good job of freeing himself. Thankfully Katina began sending down large beats of air to buffet the dog demon and keep him from being able to move as much.

'Hey Kazuko! I know you may not be able to notice from down there, but from up here it looks like the circle is shrinking.' She called and I looked over to Izu for an explanation.

"Do not worry! It is part of the spell. Once the circle shrinks completely the spell will be done. You must keep him in the circle even as it gets smaller." Izu said, his voice sounded strained from effort.

'At this rate, in a few minutes, it will be too small to hold him.' Katina said sounding worried.

'We just have to trust Izu.' I barked and turned my attention back the western lord who was showing an amazing ability to still fight against two elements at once. _'Let's add another.' _I thought and let my jaws part slightly as I felt he electricity running through my fangs. I let the charge build up enough for a large shock and let it loose in Sesshomaru's direction. As planned, the shock stopped his movements, the only problem being that it didn't stop him for long.

'Kazuko?' Katina called and I looked up for a brief moment. 'I think Sesshomaru is getting smaller.'

I looked back to Sesshomaru and concluded that she was right. Normally the tip of my ears just reached the bottom of his jaw. Now we were standing muzzle to muzzle. A felt a small trickle of relief as I started to understand what Izu had meant.

'I get it. If we keep him in the circle, he'll shrink with it.' I called, thankful that this would give us a bit more of an advantage.

We continued our fight as the sun peaked up and rose until it was high above us. Sesshomaru showed an annoyingly amazing ability to still provide a formidable opponent even as he shrunk in size. By the time Izu called for us to stop the sun was past noon and the three of us had several scratches and clumps of fur missing. Katina and I transformed back to normal and stood beside Izu as he finished up the spell. Sesshomaru had shrunken to the size of our smaller forms before he shifted back to his normal form. His glowing red eyes flashed for a moment before they returned to gold.

"That will do it." Izu said as he struggled to get up. Katina helped him stand while I walked over to the western lord.

"You back to normal?" I asked stopping a foot or so in front of the dog demon.

"I will not be 'normal', as you put it, until this spell is broken." He responded and I sighed.

"I'm just going to take that as a yes." I said and turned back to Katina. "I think we're done here." She nodded and began helping Izu back to the castle. I turned back to Sesshomaru. "We're leaving Swift here. If anything happens, send him to get us." I said and continued before he could respond. "You're not working at full strength, so I'm not going to take no for an answer." I finished and began heading back to the castle. "Masaru wants to leave at dusk and dammit I'm going to get some sleep around here even if I have to kill someone for it."

I made it a few steps before I felt myself being picked up bridal-style. My immediate response was to growl for him to put me down but his eyes showed that he meant no harm.

"Sleep." He said in a purring growl. I let out a sigh of content, placed my head against his shoulder and was more than happy to drift off.

**~Masaru~**

'Where is she?' I grumbled as I stood waiting at the western castle's main gate. Katina, Ryo, Shippo, Dagger, Hawk, Leaf and Oak were all here, leaving only one person missing.

"Last I saw, Sesshomaru was carrying her to their room. It's been quite up there since." Katina said with a shrug.

'She'd better hurry up. Shadow Falls isn't exactly close.' I huffed.

"I'm here." We turned to see Kazuko heading towards us. She looked less grumpy than she had this morning.

'Where have you been?' I questioned.

"I've been getting that sleep I've been missing for the past few days." She responded.

'Let's go.' I said and waited for Kazuko, Katina, Ryo and Shippo to transform. 'No one knows you're going north. Even with the new moon, we can't risk anyone seeing us flying, we'll have to run it. Try and keep your steps as light as possible.' When they all nodded I took off, at a full sprint, towards the western and northern border lands. Thankfully everyone was able to run lightly even at the speed we were going.

**~Kazuko~**

I felt refreshed for the first time in almost a week. It was the first uninterrupted sleep I had gotten since Koru had arrived at the western castle. Sesshomaru had been nice enough to stay with me while I slept. I could tell, even though he wouldn't admit it, that he was a bit uneasy with having his inner demon sealed away.

'Lady Kazuko.' Masaru barked. His tone was quiet but annoyed as if he may have been calling me for some time. I put on a small burst of speed so that I could go from where I had been running in the back of the pack, to the front beside the guardian leader.

'Yes?' I asked as I finally reached his side.

'Swift has told me you have him staying at the western castle for a secret task. Care to tell me what it is?' He asked and I understood what his annoyance was targeted at. I could understand how frustrating it must be to be a leader, yet have those under you doing things without your knowledge. Unfortunately, this secret could not be shared.

'Sorry I can't tell you. Trust me, as soon as we come back, you'll be the first one to know.' I said offering as much consolation as I could. He eyed me for a while before giving a curt nod and turning his attention back to guiding us.

'The village will be completed by the time you return. Ryo, Katina and Shippo intend to move into it.' He said and I could tell what his unasked question was.

'I'll be staying at the western castle.' I said as I thought over things. Somehow I had expected Shippo to stay at the western castle with myself, yet I wasn't entirely surprised with his choice. He'd really gotten close with the Ryo and the guardians. Plus with his feelings towards Rin being as they were, it would be unfair torture to have him living under the same roof.

'I thought as much.' Masaru said.

'I have a task for you.' I said and saw his ears flick in interest though he didn't say anything. 'I want you to find all information on Ryu-Inu law, traditions and ceremonies. I have something I want to do when we get back, and I want to make sure that I do it right. Also I've heard of a sword smith who specializes in demon weaponry. I want you to find him and give him my fangs to create me a new staff and a short sword. I don't care what they looks like; just make sure that they can amplify my elements. I left the fangs with Shadow.'

'A sword and staff?' Masaru asked having seemed fine with my plan until he heard the part about the weapons. 'You have your family's staff and what use would you have for a sword?'

'It never hurts to have a backup weapon and I have a just have a feeling that I'm going to need a new staff.' I would have shrugged if we hadn't been running. 'Can you get that done for me over the next decade?'

'Of course.' Masaru huffed. 'We'll get it done in a year's time.'

'No need to rush it. I'm not going to need them anytime soon I think.' I said with a light smile.

We ran in silence as the moon rose higher and higher into the sky. I was concerned that we may not make it in time but just as midnight hit; Masaru gave an order to slow down.

'We're here.' He said as he brought us to a swift walk. I could hear running water in the distance but could not see anything through the thick forest we were in. 'Shadow Falls.' Masaru stated as we exited the forest.

'_Why would something so bright be called Shadow Falls?' '_The water before us was so bright and clear that I thought we had to be in the wrong place. Though I did wonder how it shone so bright in the darkness created by the new moon.

"This waterfall is a magical place, or so some say. While normal water reflects clear in the day and shadowy at night, this waterfall is different. During the day, the water is as dark as midnight during the new moon, and at night it is as clear and bright as the full moon. No one knows why this is, but it makes for a quite the sight." Koru's voice called out from the other side of the river as if he had read my thoughts. He sat on a boulder, and it made me wonder how long he had been here. "Nice of you to be on time."

'Thanks we weren't sure we would make it in time.' I said.

"Well then let's get back to the north." Koru said as he stood. "If we push it, we can make it to the Ryu-Okami village by morning, the castle by sun high. Then Kazuko will come with me."

'You mean we're not going to train together?' Ryo interjected as he stepped forward.

"You two will train with the Ryu-Okami in the village." Koru said pointing to Ryo and Katina. "The fox kit will train at the northern castle with the other foxes. And Kazuko will come with me to train."

'Where are you going to train?' Shippo questioned, his paws shuffling uneasily.

"I can't tell you that. It's a sacred and secret place that only Shogakkos can know about." Koru said and shrugged. "So let's go, we're going to want to get there as soon as possible."

'See you when we get back, Masaru.' I commented to the guardian leader. I gave him an affectionate head-butt on the shoulder, which he returned.

'Come back strong, we'll be waiting for you.' He said and took off back towards the western lands. Just before he disappeared from sight he turned and called out over his shoulder. 'Remember, plans for attacking the east will begin as soon as you return.'

'Ready?' I turned to see Koru standing in his true form. He was in his smaller form and only stood about an inch or so shorter than Ryo. His fur and wings were a dark red with black markings scattered across. He looked just like a Ryu-Inu, only his canine features had a more feral look to them.

'Yea let's go.' I replied and again we were off as we crossed the river and followed Koru into the northern lands.

The run was silent as we moved swiftly through the northern lands and towards the Ryu-Okami village. The landscape here was much different. While the west was full of dense forest and grassy underfoot, the north was covered in rocky terrain and mountains, the ground we ran on felt like gravel. By the time we reached the village the pads of my paws were soar from going over the rough ground for so long.

"Welcome." The Ryu-Okami leader, Kiba was waiting to greet us as we arrived at the village. "We look forward to working with you, Ryo and Katina." He said.

'I guess I'll see you guys in a decade.' I said and gave them each a goodbye. It was a strange feeling knowing that I would be separated from them as well. I had expected to at least see their familiar faces during this journey. Now I was faced with spending an entire decade with a male I barely knew. This was definitely not information that Sesshomaru needed to know, I could only imagine his reaction.

'Yea, see you.' Ryo said as he Katina, Oak and Leaf followed the Ryu-Okami into the village.

'Okay we're heading to the northern castle now.' Koru said as he led Shippo, Dagger, Hawk and me away from the village.

It didn't take as long to reach the castle but the terrain wasn't much better. I was definitely bleeding from the bottom of my paws as we reached the castle gates. By the time we got to the gates, the sun had risen. Waiting for us was Lord Di and Lady Lily both seemed as happy as when we'd last seen them, though again Lady Lily had a look that I couldn't quite read on her features.

"Welcome Shippo. We're so happy that you've decided to come." Lady Lily said going up to the kit.

'I'll see you in a decade.' I barked to him as he followed the older foxes with Hawk at his side.

'Now we're going to head to the Shogakko training grounds. You must promise to never speak of the location grounds to anyone other than another Shogakko.' Koru said as he eyed Dagger and I.

'You have our word.' I said and beside me Dagger nodded.

'Then let's go. There is only one way to reach the training grounds, and that is through flight. It's located in the mountain range that is at the center of the four lands. No lord owns it or the land it is on, since it is vital to the four Ryu clans. We should arrive by nightfall.' Koru said as he shook his wings and took off towards the south.

It felt good to be off of my paws for the time that we soared through the air. Koru led us higher than I was used to flying, because he wanted to ensure that no one saw us.

**~Shadow~**

Masaru had come back in edgy mood, and I could guess that he hadn't gotten the answers about Swift's task. He had sent Moon, Claw and I to find the sword smith Totosai. I had wondered why Kazuko left two of her fangs and now I had my answer. Finding the sword smith wasn't too hard, he was in his volcano home as usual, but convincing him to make the swords proved to be the hard part. He kept losing track of what we were telling him and twice we had to give him a light bump to get him focused again.

"Ah, you want a sword and staff for the Ryu-Inu Shogakko of the west. I suppose I could do so. Come back in a year. They will be done by then." The sword smith made shooing motions towards us as he finished speaking.

'We're going to hold you to that Totosai.' Claw growled as we turned to leave. 'I swear that senile old man should not be making weapons anymore.' He added as we took off.

'Perhaps, but it is undeniable that he is the best at it.' Moon commented. 'I've never heard of a weapon of his being anything less that superior.'

I gave a mumbled agreement as I thought over why Kazuko would want a new sword and staff.

**~Kazuko~**

"This place is beautiful." I said as I looked at my surroundings.

We had arrived at the Shogakko training grounds. Koru had been right; we'd made it just as the sun set. I ran my hand over some of the statues that were lined up. As I reached the end of the statues, I noticed that the last statue in line was one of me. "Who did this?" I asked in wonder. The statue was so life like that it looked like someone had simply trapped me in stone instead of carved it.

"No one knows. When a Shogakko reaches maturity, their statue just appears here." Koru said as he watched me. "There is a row for each of the four clans. Each row shows that clan's past and present Shogakkos. The first ones are the original four Shogakkos and then their predecessors go down the line until you get to the end where the current Shogakko statues are."

I took in the rest of the training grounds in the rising moonlight. The training area was made in a giant square. In one corner, there was waterfall that feed into a stream that cut through the grounds. In another corner, off to the side there was a stretch of burned ground. To another corner was a pile of boulders. And in the fourth corner a white circle was on the ground. One thing I noticed was that there wasn't anywhere to sleep, it was all training grounds.

"So we'll fly out here every day? Seems like a lot to do especially since we're a bit pressed for time." I commented and turned as I heard Koru gave a light chuckle.

"No we'll be staying here the entire time." He said.

"So then we're sleeping outside every night for ten years? Great…" I grumbled.

"Nope." Koru responded and I gave him a confused look. "You'll only be sleep outside once a year." He added.

"So we are going to have to come here every day then. Is there a hut or something nearby?" I said, feeling my confusing rising.

"There is a hut for normal Shogakko training, but you won't be using it. You'll only be sleeping outside once a year, because you will only be sleeping one night a year." Koru said and continued as I opened my mouth to protest. "A demon can go up to a year without sleep before it affects them on a severe level. I have a century's worth of lessons and training to teach you in the course of a decade, we can't waste any time. So I hope you enjoyed your sleep last night, because it's the last one you're going to get for a year." He said with a grin at my stunned face.

I couldn't even think of a complete sentence or even a single word to say to him as I processed what he was telling me. No sleep for a year? This had to be a joke of some kind. I was ready to kill someone after three days of no sleep. Going three hundred and sixty five days without any sleep was insane!

"You have to be testing me or something. There is no way that you can say that I have to go a full year without any sleep. That's just insane." I said.

Koru shook his head and took on a very serious look. "I will be testing you often, but I can ensure you that this is not one of those tests. Sleeping takes up about a fourth of the time we have, and we can't afford to lose that time. Every moment wasted sleeping is a moment that you could be learning something vital. Now we've wasted enough time and we must begin. But first," he said and turned to face Dagger. "I understand that you're here as escort to Lady Kazuko, thus I will permit you to stay. But you must swear that you will never breathe a word of what you see here to anyone else."

'You have my word on my honor.' Dagger said with a dip of his head.

"Good, now let's get started." Koru said as he turned to face me again. "We'll start simple and test what you already know in combat."

I was still caught up on the whole not sleeping thing. "Are you serious?" I asked with a look of disbelief still on my face. I got my answer as Koru pulled his sword from its sheath and charged at me. It appeared this decade was going to be harder than I had thought.

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><p><strong>Okay like I said, I normally don't put notes at the end of the chapter, but I didn't want to spoil anything. <strong>

**So the reason I have this is because I want your votes on the next step. I have chapters written and am writing for the training segment. It consist of ten chapters, one chapter for each year. **

**My original plan was to make a mini-series that runs along with this story, mostly because the training chapters are in a slightly different format. **

**I want to know if you all would prefer that or if you want me to just put the chapters directly in here as the next ten chapters of 'Where I Belong'. Either way is fine with me.**

**To give everyone time to respond I'm going to wait seven days before posting the next chapter so I know which one I should post 'or' I will post the next chapter when I receive five votes in favor of one or the other. You don't have to vote in a review, though it is the easiest way to do it, you can message me. So let me know what you all think.  
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**Thanks ^^  
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	26. Year One: I'm Going To Die

**Howdy!  
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**So the votes are in. The results are: zero for mini-series, three for either one is ok, and three for keep it in story. And the winner is: Keep it in story.  
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**So no mini-series, or rather, it's more like an in-story mini-series.  
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**Just a reminder, these next few chapters are in a slightly different format, but nothing drastic.  
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**Do I already have the next chapter ready? Maybe, maybe not. :O Will I post it early if I get seven reviews? Maybe, maybe not. :D  
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**Other than that I give you the next chapter of 'Where Do I Belong'.  
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**Enjoy! ^^  
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><p><strong>~Year One~<br>~I'm Going To Die~**

**~Izu~**

An unhappy lord makes for an unhappy castle.

This first year has been hard on the entire western castle. Lord Sesshomaru's patience has been reduced to just about nothing. He keeps himself confined to his mated room, only allowing outside communication for food, bathing and business. Even on the business side of running his lands it has been mostly up to me to look after such affairs, as the western lord is uninterested in them.

Even I have to admit that I miss the presence of the Lady Kazuko and her pack. The other two Ryu-Inus and the fox kit provided a liveliness to the castle that hadn't been around since the Dog General was ruling and Lord Sesshomaru was but a pup.

The sealing spell is holding well now after a slight mishap.

I hadn't thought of the effects of the mating season would have on the young lord. Though he held no interest in any of the females around the castle, their heat scents had caused a stir in his inner demon. Thus we have had to ban all females in their heat from being in the castle and have sent them to help work with the Ryu-Inu guardians in restoring the village. Thankfully, due to the different race of demoness working in the western castle, we didn't have to worry about them all being gone at once, since their mating seasons fell at different times of year.

The young human girl is growing at a rate that I am unused to, since humans grow so quickly. I believe she is ten now and each day she seems to turn more and more into a woman. The young Lady Rin has been just as down as her lord in the absence of the others, and even Jaken's mood isn't as high as it normally was.

Word has gotten around that Lord Sesshomaru cares for a young human female, and many offers for her hand in marriage have reached our gates, from both human and demon suitors. They no doubt are seeking the western throne. Since there are currently no true heirs from either Lord Sesshomaru or Prince Inuyasha, Rin's status makes her the situational heir, and she would inherit the western lands if something were to happen to both of the Dog General's sons.

Lord Sesshomaru has turned down all requests and doesn't seem that interested in having anyone near the human girl in such a manner, and it isn't hard to see why. He knows the situation as well as anyone else. Allowing one to court Lady Rin, would open the doors for deception and assassination attempts on him and his mate.

Prince Inuyasha and his group have shown up a few times to see if any more news on the demon Naraku has surfaced. Each time we have informed them of what little news has reached our gates, but I have promised, to Lord Sesshomaru's displeasure, to send a messenger should any major news reach us.

**~Shippo~**

The fox court has welcomed me as one of their own.

I am trying to fit in with them the best I can. My father died before he could teach me any real fox ways, and thus I've learned more Inu ways and it shows. They are trying to teach me their fox ways, but it is hard since I've now completely learned and become Inu in nature. Even my instincts seem confused and are more dog than fox. I don't think I'll ever be able to fully fit in as a fox, but I will continue to try.

There is a young vixen, named Krein, who I have become good friends with. She is around sixty though she appears to be no older than nine or ten in human terms. She is half fox and half Ryu-Inu, the result of a secret love affair. Her mother, the Ryu-Inu, died in child-birth and thus she came to live with her father among the foxes. She is better able to understand my struggle with fitting in and offers as much help as she can.

Lady Lily, my aunt, has been dropping hints of how much she wants me to remain in the north instead of returning with the Ryu-Inu to the west. I have no intention of staying here, but I do not wish to offend and always tell her I'll think about it anytime she brings it up. Lord Di understands my wish to remain with the pack I have now, and he does his best to try and convince his mate that it is only natural that I would wish to go with those who have raised me.

Thankfully there are trainers helping me with my fox magic. I have to admit that this is something I needed, but was unable to receive from anyone else in my pack. I can see real growth in my fox magic and can't wait to show the rest of my pack what I've learned. I've been informed that I am a forest fox, and have a bond with nature. I should have guessed, especially since I always use leaves to help my magic work. The bond isn't as strong as a Ryu's elemental bond, but I can still draw on nature for strength and some healing.

Hawk has been good to me and stayed by my side in the training. She keeps me company when I feel out of place or just wish to be away from the others.

I listen around the northern castle for any rumors concerning the west or Ryo and Katina. So far the rumors are that Lord Sesshomaru has gone into an even more reclusive state than before, and no one seems to know why. Well, no one besides the northern royalty, Ryo, Katina, Koru, Kazuko and myself.

Sometimes Dagger comes by to pick up food and exchange news from Koru to the northern lord. He always tells me that Kazuko's doing okay with her training, but he isn't allowed to say any more than that. I have noticed that the guardian always seems tired when he returns, almost as if he hasn't slept.

I always wonder what kind of training Kazuko must be doing and if she is really ok. Dagger never takes more than enough to feed two of them once, and he only comes about once a month. Maybe she is hunting as a part of her training, or else I couldn't see how she could survive on just one meal a month.

I'm receiving writing lessons and can now write to Rin, I am filled with joy when her letters arrive. She tells me of the many suitors are now asking for her hand in marriage, and I am fearful that it won't be long before she accepts one. I guess I just have to remember what Kazuko said, and try to be the best friend I can be, no matter how much it hurts.

**~Ryo~**

The Ryu-Okami Clan has not been as bad as I had thought they would be.

Most have accepted us with open arms, knowing the background we have gone through. A few of the older clan members still aren't completely comfortable with what they consider an 'enemy clan' living and training in the heart of their territory. Kiba has kept them in line and they haven't done anything other than offer a few grumbles in Katina and my direction.

Katina is really improving in her mage abilities and she has gotten to the point where she can heal large wounds. She hasn't gotten to the point of being able to heal life-threatening wounds or mend muscles and bones, but she is working really hard to get there. The mages here say she'll be a great healer by the time we finish training.

I have been doing my training with the soldiers of the Ryu-Okami army and getting extra help from the general when everyone else finishes. Some of the ways they fight aren't as instinctual to me but I've managed to get the styles down and I figure it will give me some leverage. Not a lot of opponents would expect an Inu to use Okami fighting techniques. My elemental control is improving, but I have yet to get my father's swords to work as they had for him.

I understand now what Masaru meant by those with Ryu-Inu blood still being alive. We've found a set of twins in the clan that are half Ryu-Inu. Their father, the Ryu-Inu, had been trying to convince his sister and her family to come to the Ryu-Okami village for safety when the clan had been wiped out. It goes without saying that they wish to aid in our assault on the east. Understandably, the north wishes to have no connection to the war they know we are to start with the east. Kiba has told them that he is not opposed to their helping, but if they are to join us it would have to be on a permanent basis.

We've been receiving news from the Ryu-Tori Clan. The messages have been addressed to Kazuko, but once they were told that she was in training that was not to be interrupted, they have begun addressing the messages to me. They have confirmed that the suspicions of Toro working with Naraku are true. The spider demon has made their joining of forces public and has intensified the enslavement of the subjects of the east.

The Ryu-Tori have warned us that Naraku's numbers are much larger than first thought and are steadily growing. Apparently the half-demon is very persuasive and has been able to convince many unaffiliated clans to join him, along with some clans who fear the consequences of not joining him. Other clans are simply smaller and weaker ones who see Naraku's rise to be a chance to make a name for their clans.

We've also been warned to look out for spies. There have been reports of a few infiltrating the western lands and I really wish I could talk to Kazuko about it, but no one knows where she and Koru are. So for now me and Katina have been taking in the information and having it delivered to Masaru when important matters have surfaced.

**~Masaru~**

The rebuilding of the village is coming along well.

With all of the remaining guardians able to work full time on repairs we are moving closer and closer to our goal. The goal is to have the entire village done by the time the others return from the north.

We've had extra help. Izu sends the females entering their heats to help us, which is useful for things that prove difficult due to our lack of proper hands. I was a bit unsure when Izu had first proposed the idea, but it has turned into a win-win. We get extra help, and the females get protection and a proper place to stay.

To Shadow's annoyance, Totosai has yet to finish, or even start, the weapons that Kazuko has requested him to make. He swears he forgot and will have them ready in a year's time. I'm going to have to think of another group to send to retrieve the weapons. Shadow looked ready for murder when they had returned empty handed.

I've picked up foreign auras from time to time closer to the village than I like. Each time I've sent a group to investigate, they have returned with nothing. Ryo has sent reports that spies have been spotted in the western lands and I've made sure that everyone is alerted.

Lord Sesshomaru is unreachable, but I have a group patrolling the western castle. I don't know why Swift is charged with staying at the castle, but I'm willing to guess that it has something to do with the possibility of an attack. So if an attack were to happen, at least there are a few there to help defend while Swift gets word to the rest of us.

**~Tai~**

Something is not right about that half-demon.

I had no interest in his alliance yet Toro seems to believe that he is valuable in some major way. The eastern lord is basking in the fear that is spreading throughout the east and beginning to leak into other lands.

The plan to assault the Ryu-Inu clan remains a secret. We expect that the west will send its army as an aid this time, and we cannot rely on a surprise attack anymore. Somehow we have to figure out how to get and keep an upper hand. This is the only place that I will admit that the spider comes in handy. He's more than doubled our forces.

One of our spies has reported that they do not think that the Ryu-Inus are in the west. He claims that when he was near the Ryu-Inu village he couldn't pick up any recent indications of their presence, the newest ones were months old. The guardians are still there, from his reports, but no sight of the Ryu-Inus.

We're not willing to do much with this information quite yet. It's only to be expected that Kazuko would stay at the western castle instead of the village, and we have been unable to infiltrate the castle. For now we can assume that the others are also staying at the castle, perhaps suspicious of our plans.

Naraku has begun to make plans, plans he isn't including Toro in. Yet the eastern lord seems unconcerned. We've received news of numerous clans, human and demon, pledging their alliance to him alone, and not the east.

The spider demon has warned us of another half-demon, Lord Sesshomaru's younger brother, Inuyasha. Apparently he travels with three humans and a neko demon. Naraku seems convinced that the half-demon could provide some kind of major problem for us and has constantly requested out aid in eliminating the half-dog. Toro refuses, as I believe he should. Why should we be concerned about some human loving dog? Apparently this Inuyasha has some jewel shards that the spider wants.

How weak, to depend on the power of a jewel.

We've already planned to seek and kill the mutt once the war is over. Our only reason for seeking him out would be to take complete control of the west. Once we dispose of Sesshomaru, Kazuko, and that human charge, that half-demon will be the only heir left that has any true claim on the lands. We'll kill him and be able to claim the entire western lands without having to worry about anyone trying to interfere.

If all goes right, we plan to strike after the next council meeting. There is no doubt that the west and the Ryu-Inu are still tense and awaiting an attack. If we wait a decade and show no signs of hostility towards them at the council meeting, it will cause them to lower their guards. Once their guards are down, we strike.

**~Kilala~**

The search for the jewel shards has stalled.

The jewel Naraku has is almost complete and we're pretty sure there are only five shards left: The two we have, the two in Kouga's legs and the one in Kohaku's back. Thankfully we know that Naraku can't get his hand on those for now and we can consider them safe for the time being.

We've tried to search for Naraku, or we did until we found out he has formed an alliance with the eastern lord. Before, when it was just Naraku, we had no problem approaching him once we found him. But now he has an entire land protecting him and any chances of getting closer have been severely thwarted.

Inuyasha refuses to admit to it, but it would appear that the only chance we're going to have against Naraku is to join the western force. Of course, the half demon has no wish of fighting alongside his brother but we're trying to convince him that it is the only way that we're going to stand a chance. Plus it has become widely rumored that a war between the east and the west will happen. Inuyasha says he'll go if there is a war.

"_If that bastard dies, then I'll have to take over. I'm not interested in ruling no lands."_ He had said and we believed him and hoped for the sake of the western people that Inuyasha never had to rule. While he was more compassionate than his brother, he was too hot-headed to deal appropriately with anything of a diplomatic nature.

We visited the western castle to see if there has been anymore news about Naraku. Every time we've gone, an old fox by the name of Izu has received us. He seems nice enough and has always provided us with any information he has heard, though it is usually information that we already knew.

Each time we go, Sesshomaru has never made an appearance, though his aura is always there. Something about his aura is different; it does not seem as intimidating as it normally does. I don't know what could have caused the change. I've heard that bonded males are different than normal males and I have not been around the western lord since before he had fully bonded with Kazuko.

We've asked about Kazuko and the others, but the fox only gives us updates on Ryo, Katina and Shippo. He's told us that the training Kazuko is going through is a heavily guarded secret and no one knows what's going on besides her and the Ryu-Okami Shogakko. Izu informs us that she's fine and will be back within a decade's time.

Rin is growing. Even though I don't know the young girl very well, I can tell that she is growing as she should. Kagome has offered to bring Rin back to the village so that she can have some human interactions that aren't negative. We haven't heard from Sesshomaru, but Izu says he wants her to stay at the village with us. Rin's fear of humans has to be eased or she won't be able to live a normal life. Kagome and Izu have agreed that starting next year Rin will stay at the village for the spring, summer and fall, and then she will stay at the western castle for the winters.

**~Kazuko~**

"_You need to learn to master all of your elements. Since electricity seems to be your main element, you were born with a natural mastery of it." Koru said as he motioned to the yellow dragon around my waist. "Now it's time for you to learn how to master the others. As I'm sure you've noticed, each corner possess an elemental area. The electricity element is usually mastered in the center, but you don't have to worry about that."_

"_Ok, so how do I learn to master the elements?" I asked._

"_You will go to each corner, one at a time, and sit in the middle of the area and close your eyes. The rest will come to you. The experiences differ for each Shogakko so I cannot tell you what may happen." He said and motioned to the four corners. "You can decide which one you start with."_

"_I'll start with water, it doesn't seem that difficult. Plus it's winter, so the snow should help." I said going over to the stream, right under the waterfall, and sat on the boulder in the middle. "So, I just close my eyes and something will happen?"_

"_Ah water, the element of unpredictability. One moment it is calm and serene, the next its waves are trying to destroy you. It's an element none can fight against." Koru commented and I gave him a raised eyebrow. "Yes, just close your eyes and the training will begin. Might I offer you one bit of advice?"_

"_Sure." I responded._

"_Don't die." He said with a grin._

The moment I had closed my eyes I had been brought to this land of water. I was in the middle of the sea and couldn't see any land no matter where I looked.

I had no idea how long I've been here. The sun never rose; the full moon just stayed bright above me.

"Just give up; you'll never make it out of my sea." Oh and there was her.

Upon arriving here, I had been confronted by a copy of myself, only this copy was made completely out of water. She stayed floating just above the water's surface. She had been very insistent on making sure that I knew there was no way out.

I had tried attacking her, but it's proved pointless to attempt to hurt something that is made out of water and is in the middle of water. Plus I had learned that I couldn't use any of my elements here.

"How is this supposed to help me master the water element?" I questioned, glaring daggers at the copy of me. "From the looks of it I'm going to dissolve." I murmured as I could feel my skin getting wrinkles from being wet for so long.

"Why should I help you?" She responded.

It was always the same thing with her. No help. She just kept telling me that I needed to give up. Even if I wanted to give up, I had no idea how.

I was unable to transform, which blocked any chances of flying out of here. My body was soaked to the bone. I felt the effort of staying afloat, and my lack of sleep, wearing on my stamina. The only positive I could see, was that other than the annoying copy of me and the effort of staying afloat, this was a peaceful place.

'_And this salty water isn't even drinkable.'_ I thought sourly as I tried to think of anything that could help. _'I don't think I have the strength to stay afloat for much longer.'_

"Then it is time for me to destroy you." The water copy of me said and I looked over in confusion. "I am you; I know all of your thoughts." She said with a smirk.

"Of course you do." I grumbled. I didn't have the time, or the strength, to respond as she moved her arms and waves began to form and crash into me. _'Shit!'_ I thought as I tried to fight against the flow of the waves as they continued to buffet me.

It seemed the more I fought against the water the harder my struggle became. I got to the point where I was sinking below the surface more often and staying there longer. I couldn't make any headway no matter how hard I tried. With nothing to hold onto I could feel my body getting tossed around.

'_Somehow this doesn't seem to be a fitting end.'_ I thought as I began to feel myself giving into the numbing sensation that was beginning to creep though my body. It was hard to tell if darkness was beginning to close in on me, since this place was in a constant state of night and under the water it was just as dark, but I could definitely tell that the moonlight was fading.

A swimming lesson I had had when I was younger came to mind. We had always been told that you never swim against the tides or a wave if you were stuck, always flow with it. I didn't have the energy to swim anymore, but I could let my body go and allow the waves do with me as they wished.

The water stopped and I could feel myself brimming with relief.

And then I began to feel a strong pull and was confronted with the sight of a giant whirlpool.

"_Ah water, the element of unpredictability. One moment it is calm and serene, the next its waves are trying to destroy you."_

Koru's words rang in my ear and I could see what he meant. Just as I thought I'd gotten a hang of what was going on, it had to change up.

'_My swimming instructor never said anything about whirlpools, most likely because there weren't any where we were.' _I thought as I tried to think of what could be done. As I thought it over, I was aware of myself getting pulled further and further into the whirlpool so that I began spinning around the center. _'I'm going to be sick.'_ I thought as I found it hard to think straight with everything swirling around me. _'Any ideas?'_ I questioned my inner demon.

**Nope.**

'_Thanks.'_ So I could see there wasn't going to be any help there. _'I wonder what's in the middle of a whirlwind anyway. They say the center of the storm is the safest and calmest place to be, why should it be any different with a whirlwind, it's just a giant sea storm.' _I thought but didn't really have any real evidence to back up my thoughts. Either way, I was getting closer and closer to the center and there was no way I could swim my way out. I could wait for this thing to swallow me or I could face it head on.

"Here goes." I said as I put the last of my strength into swimming towards the center and cleared my mind. Just as I reached the black depths that I couldn't see beyond I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and pushed forward.

To my surprise I felt solid, sandy ground under my hands and legs. It was almost as if I was on a beach. I opened my eyes to find that, as I had thought, I was now lying face down, on a beach. I hesitantly tried to stand, and failed. However long I'd been in the water, my legs were still sea weary. I settled for simply pulling myself into a sitting position and looked out onto what I guessed to be the sea I had been trapped in.

"You made it out." I looked up to see the same watery copy of me from before.

"What you going to try and drown me again?" I questioned.

"I might." She said and charged at me.

The best defense I could offer was to put my arms up in front of my face. I felt that water splash at me and then began to feel it absorbing into my body. As the water entered my pores I could feel a sensation of calmness coming over me.

"Well done, Shogakko Kazuko." I lowered my arms to see a dragon standing before me on the beach. He was covered in blue scales that glowed like the sea in the moonlight. "You have learned the mastery of the element of water."

"What?" I questioned now beginning to understand, but still relieved.

"Water is an element of shifts and flow that ultimately requires a calmness of the mind and body to control. Your entire life you've resisted the shifts around you and fought them; your 'courtship' to the western lord an example of such resistance. To master the water element, you must learn that it is okay to allow yourself to be swept away, so long as you do it calmly and with deep thought. Just because things are not going your way, does not mean you cannot still be in control of them." The dragon spoke as he eyed me. "Once you learned to accept the flow and became one with it, you were able to achieve more than you had from fighting against it and your thoughts became clearer. Remember that sometimes fighting against something can be more dangerous than going with it. Never let your thoughts get too cloudy like a tossing wave, but they must always remain calm like a clear pond. Don't be afraid to go into the unknown. Even when doubts try to cloud your mind, you must remain clearheaded."

"I think I get it." I said as I thought over his words. He was right; it wasn't until I cleared my thoughts and went with the flow that things got better. "Thank you."

"Go forth and master the rest of the elements. I have faith that you will do well." The dragon said as he came over to be and placed his nose against my forehead.

The moment he made contact I could feel my body jolt and I opened my eyes to see that I was back in the training grounds sitting on the boulder. Again I tested the muscles in my legs, and was relieved when they worked properly and I was able to stand. I shook off what seemed to be a mountain of snow.

"Welcome back and congratulations." I turned to see Koru and Dagger standing a few feet from each other, it looked as if they had been sparing. They dropped their stances and came over to me.

"Thanks." I grumbled as I looked down to my left arm. I now had a blue dragon whose head rested in my palm and wrapped around my wrist and arm until the tip of the tail reached my elbow. I looked up at the barely visible sun, as the snow fell and smiled. It seemed to be just past noon. "Guess it just seemed like a long time."

"Huh?" Koru asked as he came forward and offered me a blanket and some food.

I took them and felt my mouth water. My stomach felt as if I hadn't eaten in days. "It felt like I was in there forever, but I guess it's only been a few hours, since the snow is still falling so hard." I said as I sat and began to eat. Koru began to chuckle and I looked up to him and asked between bites. "What's so funny now?"

"You were in the other realm for more than a few hours." He said and continued when I gave him a confused look, too hungry to talk when I could be eating. "You've been in there for just over a year."

Immediately I began to choke on what I was eating as I looked at him. "What do you mean I've been in there for a year?"

"As I said, you've been in there for a year. I was beginning to wonder if we could really get this training done in a decade's time. It normally takes a decade just to master the first element, then a few years for the ones after." Koru said as he seemed to be looking me over for injuries. "It was rather…difficult when you're mating season hit. I doubt you felt it in the meditation, but we definitely could. Dagger and I had to patrol the base of the mountain because the scent was attracting stray demons, and we could not afford for anyone to find this place.

"I can't believe I was out for that long." I said and thought about it. "I mean it felt like a long time, but I had no idea how time was passing out here, the night never ended."

"We've received news from the western castle, Ryo and Masaru." Koru said catching my attention. "Continue eating. We'll fill you in while you do."

As I continued eating they told me everything that had been going on.

"That's all the news we have for now. "Koru finished up and looked towards the sky. "The sun is setting. I'd get to sleep if I were you. You'll be starting your next elemental mastery training when the sun rises. Enjoy your one night of sleep." He said and I looked down at the blanket I had.

'_Looks like I'll just have to make the best of it.'_ I thought which wasn't that hard to do. The year's lack of sleep hit me hard as I lay down.

Before my head hit the ground, I had blacked out.


	27. Year Two: I'm Learning, I Think

**I'm so sorry! Don't kill me or my characters.**

**I've had finals, been traveling for work, and have been out of town visiting family and haven't had the time to sit down and write. :'(  
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**On the bright side I got the apartment I wanted, and have been spending a lot of time finalizing that and furniture shopping.  
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**Now things have settled down and I can sit down and get back to doing what I love, writing. :D  
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**Also I am beginning work on a new story, it should pop up here in the next few weeks or so. Don't worry, this story is still my main priority, as I am already working on the sequel.  
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**Thank you guys for the reviews, it makes me happy to read them.  
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**So I know you guys have been waiting for it so I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.  
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**Enjoy. ^^  
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><p><strong>~Year Two~<strong>  
><strong>~I'm Learning… I Think~<strong>

**~Rin~**

I missed being at the western castle.

Or I missed it when I had at least been treated as an inhabitant. Now it is becoming a place I can no longer call home.

I know Lady Kagome and Lady Kaede want me to be able to have good interactions with humans but my fear of them is still there, though I will admit it is weaning. Everyone thinks me strange because I would rather be with demons than humans. They also say it is unsafe for me to be around demons, especially being as young as I am. I can't help it. The first person to be nice to me was Lord Sesshomaru, and he brought me back to life a debt I don't think I will ever be able to repay.

Lady Kagome is teaching me archery and I am thankful for that. Hopefully I can learn enough protect myself and be able to show that I can live among demons and handle myself. Sango is teaching me very basic sword techniques, but I can tell I much prefer the bow and arrow. I don't like the thought of having an enemy so close on me.

When I first got to the human village, Kagome and the others let me visit the western castle often to ease my fears. But as the months went by, our trips there became less frequent. I know that now that Lord Sesshomaru has a mate, he's got other things to be concerned with.

Though no one has said it, I'm afraid that they are preparing me to stay here permanently. When I arrived back at the castle to stay for the winter, I had come to find that my room had been changed. It was no longer my room, and I had been assigned a guest room to stay in for the three months I would be there.

Before I had left, a lot of castle inhabitants had been gossiping about when to expect heirs, and how much they missed having little ones around the castle. It would be a lie to say that I am not a little jealous. I may be eleven now, but when I had first arrived I was eight. No one had been as excited to see me.

I tried to find Lord Sesshomaru and talk to him about it, but finding him is nearly impossible. The first year Lady Kazuko had left, he stayed in the castle constantly. Now he leaves for long periods of times, sometimes months at a time, with Jaken and the Ryu-Inu guardian, Swift. He returns briefly to know if any new information has come from the north or east. No one brings up Kazuko around him, since there is never any news on her. I would assume that if something did happen, the north would send immediate news.

Shippo's letters from the east take longer to get here now, but I am still very happy to get them. I tell him about the suitors I am receiving and how they have declined since news of my living in a human village. He always responds in a positive manner and says that he hopes I will find someone I can be happy with, but I know that there is something else there. There is something he wants to say but won't. He's very honest in his letters and does not seem to be enjoying himself as much as the others think he is. He says how excited he is to be getting stronger and better at his fox magic, but I don't think he's fitting in, kind of like how I am here.

**~Shippo~**

Rin's letters are losing their usual cheerfulness.

I think it has something to do with her going to stay with Kagome and the others. She didn't seem to happy when she first found out about the deal between Izu and Kagome, and now that she's been in the village, I don't think she feels any better about it.

Though I would never tell her, I'm happy that she's staying with humans now. I think it's safer for her to be among humans and with Inuyasha and the others around. From the news we've received from the west, Sesshomaru hasn't really been at the castle all that often and that leaves Rin without a major chunk of protection.

If I were to be honest with myself I know the major reason why I'm happy for her stay in the human village. The requests for her courtship have dropped drastically now that most of the suitors have her of her leaving the castle. They probably think that means she is no longer a charge of the lord, and thus no longer an heir. Plus the humans of the village are all too afraid of Sesshomaru to try anything with her.

My training is going well, and I'm starting to get the respect of the other foxes. I think they've given up on trying to accept me as one of their own, but at least they're willing to treat me as an equal. I'm being pushed a bit harder than the other foxes my own age and have been put in a class with those decades older than me, though I'm sure my training is nothing compared to what Ryo, Katina and Kazuko must be going through.

Lord Di was the one responsible for me being moved up. He seems to understand that despite what Lady Lily insist on, at the end of the decade I will be going back with my true pack. So he's said that he wants me to learn as much as I can while I'm here. He's also told me that so long as their family is in power, I am always welcomed to the northern castle. He reminded me that if something were to happen to their family I am the only living blood relative, so that by demon law makes me a prince, like Inuyasha.

The fox lord has also been giving me private training. Though he may be old and a chubby now, I can tell that he was once, and still is, a fierce opponent. I can only imagine how he was in his prime. He's teaching me family secrets that the other foxes don't know. He tells me that each bloodline has secret techniques that are passed down from father to son, and since my father wasn't able to live long enough to teach them to me, he is more than happy to do so. He is teaching me the techniques from my father's bloodline and also the ones from his own bloodline.

Dagger came by at the beginning of the year and told us that Kazuko's doing well in her training, and that was all he was allowed to say. He has gotten to the point where he doesn't seem as tired as he did last year. Whatever is going on with the Shogakko training, it must be improving, since Dagger's worry isn't as visible as before.

**~Katina~**

My healing and weakening spells are getting stronger.

Ryo praises each small step that I take in getting better, and I do the same for him. He's gotten to the point where his father's swords will spark with energy, but he tells me that there is more to it than that. I will just have to have faith in him and I look forward to seeing him fully master the twin blades.

Ryo and the Ryu-Okami sages have convinced me to do some combat training. I was against the idea, but they ensured me that it was for my benefit and wouldn't be anything too extreme. They are right; if I were ever to be on my own I would want to be able to handle myself long enough to run or until help arrived. They've also convinced me to keep a set of daggers strapped to my upper thighs so that they are hidden by my cloak.

As I go through the training I have a new found respect for Ryo, Shippo and Kazuko. I'm just learning the basics defense and I feel as if I'm never going to get the things down, but Ryo is patient and helps me when I struggle. He ensures me that he'll never be too far away from me and that if I can learn this, it will keep enemies at bay until he can get there.

News has reached us that Sesshomaru is now wandering his lands as he used to do. No one seems suspicious of this information, though a lot of rumors have arisen as to the reason behind it. Some are saying that he is in search of more power. Others have rumored that he is preparing for war. The most disturbing and absolutely untrue of them all reached us a few months ago. Somehow rumor has spread that Kazuko is infertile and that Sesshomaru is out searching for another mate. I can only guess where that rumor started.

Thankfully Dagger has told us that Kazuko's training is so preoccupying that only the most vital and important of information is passed on. I would hate to think what she would do if that particular rumor reached her. We've tried prying Dagger about the training, but all he can tell us is that she is doing well.

The news coming out of the east is getting worse by the moment it seems. Naraku's influence is reaching much further and deeper than we thought it would, and in such short time. Masaru is concerned that we may not have the entire time to wait before we attack. Though Toro and Naraku seem to have backed off for now, the guardian leader thinks it is better that we are able to make the first move. The Ryu-Tori have been quite recently, they believe Lord Toro may be onto their plans. Their updates used to come twice a month and now they have fallen to once a month at the fastest.

From the sounds of it, Naraku's growing number has us outnumbered at least ten to one, and that includes the entire western army and its allies. Masaru says the longer we wait, the more Toro and Naraku's numbers are able to grow. He thinks if their rate of growth continues like this, we may be beaten by their numbers alone.

**~Oak~**

Lord Sesshomaru has begun his wanderings again.

Masaru isn't too excited to hear this, especially since he has taken Swift with him. I can't image the dog lord just deciding to take Swift with him of his own choice. Kazuko must have ordered Swift to stay with Sesshomaru for this decade. I try to convince the guardian leader that he should have more faith in Kazuko's plan, whatever it is.

Things have been quiet in the east, but we're not fooled. Naraku and Toro are up to something sinister, and we'll be ready no matter what. It seems as if every land is a part of this war, except for the south. They have made sure to keep themselves especially distant from the matter. The north has not given any formal alliance or wish to enter into a war, but we know that if called for, we could get their help.

Shadow is definitely not allowed to go near the sword smith again. Again the sword smith had not finished, or started, the weapons. From the report that Moon gave, Shadow had to be pulled away from Totosai. Masaru's temper towards the situation wasn't much better as he contemplated going up to see the sword smith himself. Thankfully I was able to reason with him that we all know force is not a motivating factor for Totosai.

We've received updates on Katina, Ryo and Shippo. It would seem that they are all coming far in their training and are learning much. As with last year, we have not received any news on Kazuko. I can only hope that she is doing well in her training. This war will not be easily won, and having a fully trained Shogakko on our side will make a big impact in our favor.

**~Toro~**

The spider is proving to be a valuable ally. As much as I hate to be associated with something as lowly as a half-demon, this one provides resources I could not previously obtain.

He has tripled my numbers and they still continue to grow. I had been hesitant about taking on the half-demon in an alliance, but it has turned out to be one of the smartest decisions I've made. I would say this choice ranks right under killing my father.

Naraku demands a fairly high price, but compared to what I am gaining from this, it is nothing more than a grain of sand on the beach. He wishes for the other female Ryu-Inu to bear his heir and rights to half of the western lands. My main concerns are having Kazuko and destroying Sesshomaru, anything else gained is merely a bonus.

Besides, I already have my assassins ordered to take out the half-demon once this war is won.

I know my general finds the spider to be an annoyance, yet he has yet to say anything about it since when I had first brought up the idea of joining forces. Tai is keeping a close eye on the half demon that much I am sure of and it works to my advantage. Hopefully he will be able to provide me with any extra information I may miss.

Even though they have not formally declared it, I know the north will either not be involved in the war or they will side with the west. The alliance between the two lands dates back to when the Dog General was in rule. The south has been a reclusive and independent land, as is the way of felines. I may make a visit with Lord Ryku to see if I may persuade him to aid in the chance of a war. I could always plead that I believe that the west seeks to start a war with our lands as an act of revenge. If the southern lord thinks that the west is the one instigating the war, they might be swayed to join my side. Canines and Felines don't naturally get along anyway, so why not exploit the instinctual reactions.

To silence Naraku's incessant request for the head of the half dog demon, I have agreed to place a spy on surveillance of Inuyasha. I have also explained to him that if we were to rush and kill the western prince, it would be traced back to the east immediately and all of our plans would be for not. Despite claims that Sesshomaru has no attachment to his brother, honor would demand that he retaliate, if for nothing else but to defend his pack's name. While I know that this war will be easily won, I would rather be as prepared as possible.

My desire is not to simply win the war, I wish to destroy and humiliate the west in the process.

My spies are reporting that the newest traces of the Ryu-Inus in their village are over a year old. I need my spies to get deeper into the territory, but the damn dog lord has the entire lands around the castle completely locked down.

Word is that Sesshomaru has begun wandering his lands again, and I can only guess what that means, but hopefully it will allow my spies a chance to infiltrate the castle while he is gone.

**~Miroku~**

Things have gotten quiet but we all know that something big is brewing.

Unfortunately there is no way we can do anything about it. Naraku's guard only increases as time passes. Inuyasha constantly grumbles about how he thought it was a bad idea that Kazuko and her pack were off training in the face of the approaching danger. I feel as uneasy as he about having such powerful allies out of reach, but I can understand why they have done it.

Should something as large as an all out war between the east and west occur, everyone is going to have to be in absolute top shape. I can see why the Ryu-Inu pack has gone to train and I can imagine that they were as uneasy as we are about leaving their homes undefended while they are gone.

The one bright thing is that no one other than the western castle knows of their absences. Rumors have begun to spread since Sesshomaru has started up his wandering again, but we know better than to believe any of them, though we do wonder why he would leave his castle in such troubling times.

The village has begun discussing formally declaring themselves as subjects of the western land. They feel that it will provide additional protection in case of war. Common war practices include taking over villages, especially ones that aren't under any land's direct rule, on the border to use as a base and for resources. Inuyasha is against the idea because it would then put him under the rule of his brother.

Rin isn't allowing herself to become part of the village. I can understand her hesitance with her past experiences with humans, but she has to learn to get over them. The fox demon Izu says that the castle is growing unsafe due to the war and Sesshomaru's constant absences. No one has told her directly, but the plan is for her to remain here permanently or at least until she is married, which won't be for a while.

Even after the war, the castle would not be a good place for her to stay. Izu mentions that at some point an heir will be expected and that would mean Kazuko getting pregnant. Male demons, specifically dog demons, are overly protective of their mates during pregnancy and their young when they are born. Anything that could even be thought of as a threat would be disposed of, and given Sesshomaru's strength and Rin's over comfort with demons, something bad could happen easily.

Kikyo has finally, and permanently, been put to rest. Inuyasha has been in a bad mood since and Kagome seems to be losing hope that she'll get through to him. Sango is trying her best to convince the young priestess that Inuyasha just needs a little time to cope with Kikyo being gone for good, and that he does care about Kagome.

Sango and I have begun a sort of relationship. It's not anything on a severe level yet, but it's growing. I think we've both realized we have feeling for each other, though neither one of us will say anything on it. I'm trying to put away my more perverted ways to show Sango that I'm able to be a one woman man, and I have to admit that it is harder than I thought it would be.

I have also come to realize that we're not getting any younger. We don't have the luxury that demons have, of waiting centuries to decide on when to start a family. I am hesitant to bring a child into the world knowing the curse that would befall them because of Naraku, but at the same time I do not desire for my bloodline to end with me. I haven't brought these things up with Sango yet, but I plan on doing so. One day I plan to ask her hand in marriage, and that day is drawing near. Even with Naraku's threat lingering, we cannot let him destroy any hope for a future that we want.

**~Kazuko~**

"_There is no way that it's been twelve hours already." I groaned as Koru woke me and I looked around. The snow had eased up, but it still fell and has covered my body. I shook off the frozen water and stood._

"_It has and it is time for you to begin mastery of another element." Koru said with his usual grin. _

"_After a year at sea and all this snow, I'd be happy if I never saw any form of water again. I'm going as far from it as possible." I grunted as I began walking._

"_So fire it is?" Koru asked and I nodded. "Fire is the element of passion and control."_

"_I'll keep it in mind." I muttered and sat in the middle of the burnt grass and closed my eyes._

I had awoken to a field of burnt grass, as far as I could see it seemed as if everything had been taken by this phantom fire. The moment I stood flames shot up and I found myself in the middle of a giant fire.

"Ok, I'm surrounded completely by the element again." I stated and looked around.

I could feel the heat and it quickly sent me into a heavy sweat, but the fire never burned. I could feel the flames dance on my skin and looked down to see it sliding over my arms and legs like a red serpent, but not once did I feel a burn.

"So you managed to master the water element." I looked up to see another copy of me, only this one was made out of fire.

"Yea and let me guess, you're here to make sure I don't master fire." I responded and watched the copy nod. "Well bring it on then. I'd like to finish this one faster than the last."

"You have a lot of confidence for someone who's training for death." The copy taunted and I felt my jaw tighten slightly.

"Says you." I retorted.

"You know it's true. You're training up here, leaving your home and packmates defenseless, just for you to lead them all to their deaths." The copy continued as it began grating on my nerves. "But I suggest it's for the best. At least then Sesshomaru will be able to find a suitable mate who truly deserves to be a lord's mate and have to title of Lady of the West."

That last bit struck the wrong nerve and struck it hard. I felt anger much hotter than the flames around me and leapt for the damn copy. She evaded but struck me in the shoulder, and I could feel a real burn as she made contact.

"You didn't really think a mutt like you was truly worth of having such a male for a mate." The copy continued to tease as I turned and struck for it again.

I couldn't stop the anger that was coursing through my veins. I knew I had training for this and I wasn't following any of the techniques that I had been taught, but I couldn't bring myself to focus enough to fight properly. The only thoughts coursing through my mind was how much I wanted to rip this copy into as many little pieces as possible. My body launched at the clone again, my claws ready to strike. I felt a twinge of satisfaction as I watched my claws rake her side, but it was short lived as I felt a searing burn engulf my hand and I watched the clone go unharmed.

"You were lucky enough to catch his attention, like a baby with a shiny object. Eventually he will grow bored and you'll be cast out just like you were from your clan." The clone chuckled watching me hold my hand against my chest.

"My clan didn't cast me out, they saved me! They saved us!" I growled. I couldn't tell if my eyes were bleeding red or if the fire was beginning to affect my vision, but I could only see red and orange now.

"So you say, but no one can confirm that. You're only going off what you saw in some near death illusion." The copy said and again I found myself charging even though somewhere my mind knew that it would just lead to me getting burned again.

"I saw my parents, they told me so themselves. Ryo and Katina saw it too." I countered as I slammed full force into the clone with my left side. I went straight through and I could feel the burn encase my whole body, yet the skin never showed any marks. It felt more as if my soul and blood were on fire with doubt, fear and anger.

"You were hallucinating from being so close to death. Ryo and Katina were under a spell by a **human priestess**. For all you know, she planted those so called 'visions' in their heads. Then all the demons would go to war and kill each other off, leaving the humans to rise to power." The damn clone just wouldn't shut up and I was running out of counters.

"Kaede wouldn't do that. Miroku and Kagome wouldn't let her!" I shouted as if my words could cause the harm I couldn't to the fiery me.

"They're all **humans**, monks and priestess at that. Kagome has a spell on Inuyasha to control him. All humans are the same; they only want two types of demons: those who are under their control and those who are dead!" My clone growled, this time coming up to me and glaring me in my eyes, only inches from my face.

"That's not true! They're not like that!" I shouted back, ignoring the burning on my face as I went nose to nose with the clone.

"Two years ago you found out that the first nineteen years of your life was a lie! You've been lied to since you were an infant! How do you know they're not lying to you now? Everyone wants you dead! That's why you're clan was destroyed and that's why you're going to lead what's left of your clan to their graves!" The clone had the same pissed off look that I had as I glared into the orange and red eyes.

"You fucking liar! You don't know anything about my life!" I snarled feeling my body preparing for another attack.

"I'm you; I know everything about your life." The copy dared smirk and I felt myself pushing at it again.

I felt the burns growing in pain, but I couldn't stop myself. Even though every single one of my attacks simply went through the copy, I just couldn't stop. The damn thing was right. It was voicing every fear I had ever had and still had. With each slash I inwardly cringed as another doubt passed through my head.

"All you've done since you were able to think properly is lie to yourself." The clone chuckled as I slashed at it. "You told yourself that your parents hadn't given you up, that they had lost you and would return for you one day. Now you know the truth, they did give you up." Another slash and I could feel the burn digging deeper. "You told yourself you could trust a group that consisted of a priestess, a monk and a demon slayer; that they wouldn't mind you being a demon. They sure didn't put up much of a fight when you fell into the lake or when Sesshomaru took you." Again I slashed, just wanting the clone to shut up. "You told yourself that you could make yourself worthy of being Sesshomaru's mate. Yet here you are, not with him but here." The damn clone just wouldn't shut up. "You've told yourself that you truly stand a chance against an entire nation. They're numbers are growing while you hide here."

"Shut up! Just shut up!" I snarled my squeezing close as I tried to get the words out of my mind, but they replayed over and over like a broken record.

I don't know how long it took, but the copy continued to run through every doubt and fear I'd ever had in my life, including things from when I had been in the future. Doubts that I had originally thought to be small and insignificant were amplified as my rage built and my mind just stayed ablaze with anger. My skin felt as if it had been charred to ashes, though not once did I show any visible sign of burns. I would have been sweating by now from all the energy I was pouring out, but the fire just vaporized the liquid before it completely left my pores, creating a steamy aura around me.

"Just shut up." I said, my voice coming out in rasp. I stalled my attacks to catch my breath. With my body feeling as battered and weak as it did now, I couldn't bring myself to attack again. Instead I thought over the doubts that had been hurled at me since I was young.

Yes, I wasn't entirely sure of my past, present or future, but I had to keep going. I didn't know if the path I had chosen led to victory or destruction, but there was only one way to find out.

I looked up at the clone as it just stared silently at me, the words having stopped spewing from her mouth. "Finally lose your voice?"

"You've finally gotten it." I heard a different voice say, but I couldn't locate it.

My eyes stayed on the clone that had begun coming towards me. I braced myself as it charged and leapt at me, and I felt the clone merge with my being. The burning sensation dulled until they faded away and I looked to see a red dragon winding around my right palm. It was just like the one on my left arm, the head in my palm and the body coiling around my arm up to my elbow.

"You have done well, Shogakko Kazuko." I watched as the fire died out and again I was faced with a burnt field. A red dragon with orange wings rose before me, its black eyes focused on me. "Fire is the element of passion and emotions, but it is also the element of control. It is a delicate balance. Do not fear your emotions or your passions, but you must always keep them under control. If you allow yourself to become too overwhelmed with your emotions, it will only lead to self-destruction. Your doubts and fears are a part of you, and don't be afraid to have them. So long as you do not let them override your control, you will be fine."

"You guys ever consider just telling the lessons before we have to go through all this?" I asked with a small and tired smirk.

"True understanding doesn't come from others. It is something you must learn for yourself." The dragon said. "Now go and master your two remaining elements. Time runs short." He said and placed the tip of his snout on my forehead.

I opened my eyes to see that I was back in Shogakko training clearing. Looking around I didn't see Dagger, but I did see Koru in a meditative stance. He opened one eye and smiled as he saw me staring at him.

"How long was that?" I asked, noticing that it was no longer snowing.

"One moon cycle short of a year." He said, coming over to me.

'_So eleven months.'_ I thought and stood, stretching my now stiff limbs. "So does that mean I get a moon to sleep, since I finished that one early?"

"No." Koru said, the grin never leaving his face. "Dagger has gone to get you some food; we didn't think you'd wake up so early. In the meantime we will spar. Though I'm sure you've done plenty in the mental trainings, physically you haven't really moved much in about two years. We don't want you to lose your physical abilities. Plus, think of it as time for you to try out your newly mastered elements."

"So we're going to spar for a moon, then I get to eat, and then I get one night of sleep, and then I have to master another element?" I asked and he nodded. He got into an offensive stance and I countered with a defensive one waiting on his attack. "Great."


	28. Year Three: I'm Changing

******:( Only two reviews on the last chapter.**

**But I understand because it did take so long for that chapter...and this one.**

**I hope you guys are still reading and enjoying the story because I'm loving writing it.**

**I have a small problem that I would appreciate input on. FF is now kinda cracking down on stories with the more 'steamy' scenes. I have at least one scene that is necessary for**** progress of the story. I have three options because I don't want my story to get taken down so I won't be putting it here.**

**1) I put up a copy of the story of AdultFF and call it an 'extended version', while still adding chapters here.  
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**2) I continue and can individually message specific parts of the chapter to those who want to see it.  
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**3) I find a way to help the story progress without anymore steamy scenes.  
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**Input would be nice, I'm leaning towards the first idea.  
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**I think that's all I have to say for now.  
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**So I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.  
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**Enjoy ^^  
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><p><strong>~Year Three~<br>~I'm Changing~**

**~Jaken~**

Grudgingly I'll admit that I miss Rin, and even those mongrels that came with Lord Sesshomaru's mate.

Lord Sesshomaru has turned to resuming his traveling and has brought the Ryu-Inu guardian Swift. Milord refuses to say what he is searching for, though his movements are not as random as they had been before Kazuko had come in the picture. I've noticed he purposely travels near the northern border and doesn't stray too far from it during his travels.

His silence is no longer the usual indifferent one that he had before. It is now an absolute silence. I cannot recall milord having used his voice in the two years. His only forms of communication are his glares; his sword for anyone idiotic enough to disturb his travels, and nods for those that speak to him.

To my surprise, Lord Sesshomaru has made a trip to Inuyasha's village this year. Lady Rin was happy to see him, and I, though I shall never admit it aloud, was relieved to see her. Rin has grown so much that she is barely recognizable as the child that Lord Sesshomaru brought back to life all those years ago. I believe she is twelve now and I heard a few whispers throughout the village of families who see her as a suitable mate, or 'wife' as the humans call it, for their sons. Most of this talk stopped as soon as Lord Sesshomaru came around, since most of the humans have heard of the possessiveness of dog demons, and are unsure of milord's direct relationship with Rin.

Rin has asked when she may return to live back at the western castle, obviously unaware of the plans already made for her to live permanently here with the humans. During the spring we had found out Izu's plans to have Rin stay among the humans for good. He finally asked for Lord Sesshomaru's approval, which he received with a brief nod from milord.

Though milord never directly asked, the priestess Kagome told us that they haven't heard any more news about Kazuko. They only have the letters the young fox demon sends to Rin to go off of. Apparently the fox does not have access to anymore news than the rest of us on Kazuko's whereabouts and/or activities.

News of Naraku and Toro has been equally scarce. From the sounds of it, Naraku and Toro are more occupied with building up the east from within. I don't think milord, nor Inuyasha's group, thinks this to be true, but there is not much that can be done for now.

The guardian is as quiet as milord, only talking when excusing himself for activities such as hunting. Swift has seemed tense since Lady Kazuko left, and while most of it seems to have vanished, he still does not seem entirely comfortable. It is almost as if he is carrying an unseen burden, perhaps a secret. If this secret could endanger milord, I will get it out of him one way or another.

**~Shippo~**

I've hit what Kagome once called 'a growth spurt', and have shed my fox like feet for more human appearing ones. It was the last of my changings, as demons call them; all that is left is for me to grow into a bigger and more powerful body. Unlike humans and most other demons, fox demons are born with a mixture of fox and human-like features. As we grow we shed the more obvious demon features until we have a full human-like form, just like other demons do.

It is a little different and I've had to rework my basic foot patterns so that I could get used to my new feet. Thus my fighting techniques have also had to be reworked and though it feels like I'm now falling behind, Lord Di says I'm right on track with where I should be. Kagome will be surprised when she sees me. I've gotten up to a full two feet finally, as opposed to my one and a half foot height I had been when I'd traveled when Inuyasha and his group.

Rin writes that Sesshomaru came through the village to visit. While I wrote back and told her how happy for her I am for that, it sends suspicion through me. It's not like Sesshomaru to go out of his way to visit a human village that isn't even under his rule, even if Rin is there. Rin seems determined that this means she will soon be able to return to the western castle, and I feel bad knowing that she is getting her hopes up for nothing.

Lord Di has found a set of daggers that had been my father's when he had still lived the life of a northern warrior, before he settled down with my mother. The northern lord has given them to me. At first I was conflicted as what to do. The daggers I had were of the Ryu-Inu clan, which I now feel is my own clan, and they were given to me by Ryo who has become fatherly, if not like an older brother to me. Yet these daggers of my father are all I have of him.

Thankfully Lord Di suggested that I use one of each as my main weapons and use the other two as backups. It worked out well, I now use one of the Ryu-Inu daggers in my left hand and one of my father's daggers in my left. I keep the other two tied under my arms within my clothes, so that they are not visible. The daggers look pretty cool together. The Ryu-Inu ones are red with black outlines and my fathers are blue with white outlines.

Dagger is looking better when he comes to visit. He's said that Kazuko is doing extremely well and that there is truly a hope that she will be able to finish her training in full by the end of the decade. It's the most he's said about her training since we've arrived and I am relieved. If Dagger feels bold enough to say such things aloud, then her training must really be going well.

Ryo and Katina seem to be doing well. Word is that they are earning the respect of the Ryu-Okami, which is good if we're really going to go to war with Toro and Naraku. Lord Di insist that he has no intentions of entering the war on either side, but I'm hoping that if needed he can be persuaded otherwise. We can expect that if Lord Di refuses to aid, then we can also expect that the Ryu-Okami will also refuse aid. From the rumors, Naraku's numbers are too great for just us to handle alone, even with Sesshomaru's army, so we'll need any help we can get.

**~Ryo~**

I've finally gotten my blades to a point where I can get them to full power. It only last a few seconds and takes an extreme amount of energy, but it's an improvement. At least I know in case of a life-threatening situation for Katina or myself I can push myself just to save her.

I'm honing my elemental abilities well. My lighting and fire strikes are coming along well, though they're not as good as Kazuko's, but they are useful. I've fallen into a pattern of not really using my elemental abilities while I fight unless my opponent manages to unarm me. It's a style I learned from the Ryu-Okami. As they've told me, we are undistinguishable from normal youkai until we use our elements. So if we can lure our opponents into a false sense of security and allow them to think I am a simple dog demon, then I have a great surprise in store for them.

I can feel myself getting stronger with my techniques in fighting. Now I can take on one fully trained opponent or two slightly trained ones. I still haven't gotten to the point where I can beat them, but I can hold my ground long enough for help to come. I've really been working hard with Oak and the two of us make a really dangerous team. With the two of us fighting we can take on three fully trained opponents and have even won once.

Like an oak tree, Oak is really sturdy and it is hard to get him down in a fight. He's also a lot more methodical and insightful than I had thought he would be, and I've found out that this is largely in part to the fact that he is Sage's son. Sometimes I forget that at one time the guardians were a regular pack that was granted great strength, size, ability and practical immortality. How they got it I don't know, but I sure would like to find out one day.

Katina is really coming along with her healings. She can now repair torn skin over torn muscle or broken bone, though she cannot fully repair the internal stuff yet. Once my training sessions are done, she is more than happy to use me for her to practice healing the wounds that I sustain, though thankfully none of them have been too severe, just a few scrapes and cuts.

We've heard of Sesshomaru's visit the village Kazuko's friends reside in. The Ryu-Okami say they've also picked up traces of the western lord near the borders, though the scent trails never crossed. Normally I'm sure they would ward away any that strayed so close to their borders, but it is easy to see why they choose to allow the behavior. Sesshomaru apparently only comes around about once a month and never stays longer than a day or so.

Masaru's reports are much of the same: no real news on Naraku other than the urge to cut our training short and strike the first blow, Masaru's displeasure at not knowing why Swift is traveling with Sesshomaru, and rants about some demon sword smith named Totosai. The only thing I ever wonder is, if the guardians have no hands how are they writing these reports?

**~Shadow~**

Totosai is still not done with the weapons he has been commissioned to make.

Thorn has taken my place in the group with Moon and Claw to talk to the sword smith. As with the previous times, Totosai reported that he hadn't even started on either weapon. The old demon sword smith is toying with those whose patience is running thinner by the second. If the weapons are not done soon I fear that the old weapon smith won't be around much longer to make any weapons.

Masaru had himself a bit of a mess after he found out. He took out a few of the huts, and is currently working on building them back up. Sage, always the calm one, has reminded us that as long as the weapons are ready for Lady Kazuko upon her return we have nothing to get worked up about. That is easier said than done.

Sage, along with Cloud and Ripple, has also gone to work with retrieving all writing having to do with the Ryu-Inu clan's rituals and ceremonies, as Lady Kazuko had requested. He seems very fascinated to go through them, and reads each as he gets them. A few are scrolls he wrote himself that had been lost after the massacre.

No one knows why Kazuko would want such old scrolls, but we're guessing she just wants to know about her clan. Though I've heard a few wonder why she doesn't simply ask us, we have been around since the clan started. Plus she has only requested scrolls on rituals and ceremonies, none about the history of the clan. She must be planning something, but we cannot know what until she returns.

We've caught the spy whose presence we had been sensing for a few months now. He refused to give us any information on who he worked for, and he had been in the western lands for so long that it covered his homeland scent. We thought to kill him, but upon discussion we decided it would be best to keep him and think of other ways to get information out of him. We do have seven more years until Kazuko, Ryo, Katina and Shippo return.

Masaru originally thought to have the spy sent to the western castle and held there to be questioned by Sesshomaru. But Sage pointed out that we did not know the full ability of the spy and to put him in the heart of the castle, especially while Sesshomaru was absent, would not be a wise move.

So we have encased the spy in ice and earth and will deal with him accordingly until either Sesshomaru or Kazuko returns. If he still hasn't spoken by then, we will turn him over to them. For his sake I hope he has enough brains to talk now. I've never seen Sesshomaru extract information from anyone, but from what rumor has spread it is something that I would wish on even my worst enemies.

**~Kagura~**

Naraku and that bull, Toro, are both idiots.

Naraku intends to kill Toro once they have taken down the west and Inuyasha's group. Yet I know that Toro isn't as dumb as he looks. I've heard the stories of how he tricked his father and killed him.

It's quite the tale really.

For a few decades it had been well known that there was resistance to Toro's father. The exact ones involved remains a mystery to this day, most too afraid to speak out since seeing what action had been taken against the clan that was leading the resistance. It was said that it was the Ryu-Inu clan that led the plan to overthrow Toro's father, or so Toro had told his father.

In truth the Ryu-Inu clan simply wanted to help those who wished to escape the east flee safely, they had never intended for a fight.

They had always been known as a clan that stood for justice and peace, and Toro used it against them. The Ryu-Inu held powers that stood above most all others, yet they never once used it for destruction.

The birth of the Shogakko provided a convenient excuse for the east to lay waste to the clan; they never really wanted the child. She was simply to be a spoil of victory. They launched their attack early because the east did not want to go to war with the west, knowing it would cause much more bloodshed than they wanted.

Apparently the previous eastern lord had gotten too comfortable in his power once he'd taken out the Ryu-Inu clan. Toro's father thought that now that all had seen his strength no one would dare oppose him. The only problem came from the eastern lord's lack of suspicion in his own castle.

Toro killed his father while challenging him to a 'friendly' duel. Only a few know that Toro had every intention to kill his father during that match. Others thought that the eastern lord's death had been a tragic accident that had been unintended. Thus Toro has been able to maintain his honor by not being seen as a murderer, but he's able to keep a grip of fear over his own subjects.

As for the lady of the lands, she disappeared shortly after her mate's death. Rumor is that Toro slew his own mother as well, but that particular tale has not been confirmed.

I can only hope that the bull and the half demon are evenly matched in wit and that they will destroy each other.

I have no problem fighting to kill the one who Sesshomaru has taken on as a mate, but I will not raise an attack against the western lord.

**~Sango~**

Miroku has asked me to wed him.

Over the past year and so we have been in a courting state, or 'dating' as Kagome has often referred to it as. He asked me to be his bride on the night of the first snow of winter. We are to be wed on the first day of spring.

There is a lot of planning to do and Kagome insist that our wedding be a grand occasion. I believe her enthusiasm comes from her knowing it will be nearly impossible to get Inuyasha to follow human traditions and have a wedding ceremony, especially since he is still refusing to recognize the 'living' woman who loves him.

When I ask Kagome about what she intends to do, she always says she is willing to wait on Inuyasha. Once I broached the subject of how we were now twenty and that most women were married by now. I even dared to bring up the one she says pursues her back in her own time, the one called Hojo.

While I think Kagome and Inuyasha go so well together, I feel that the half-demon may just not be able to see it in time. I would hate to see Kagome waste away her life to wait on one who seems unwilling to love her back. She told me that in her time some women stay unwedded until they are in their thirties and forties. Her time surely is a wonder.

The announcement of the wedding has provided a distraction for Rin. She had been even more down since Sesshomaru had come by the visit. She became very upset when she had asked to return to the western castle and was greeted with silence from Sesshomaru and she awoke to find him gone the following morning. Rin does not seem to understand the danger in her returning to the castle, but we have no choice but to keep her here for her own safety.

Thankfully Kagome has given her tasks to do to help prepare for the wedding. So now, between her training and helping Kagome, she does not have much time to think about the castle, or at least she doesn't speak of it as often as she had before.

I will admit I was surprised and pleased that he monk was able to suppress his perverted ways. They are not entirely gone, as he still stares at all maidens that pass him by; but he no longer rushes to them as he once did. I can say that I am no longer unsure of my feelings for him; I am truly in love with Miroku.

Miroku has brought up the thought of children, and I have skillfully avoided that conversation repeatedly. Wedding is one thing, but to bring a child into this chaos with Naraku still lurking around would be a danger I'm not sure I'm willing to risk. Yet I understand that if I am to have children I would have to start thinking about it soon.

I wish we could invite the Ryu-Inus and Shippo, but I'm sure their training is too important for them to leave. We have settled with sending them notice of the engagement.

**~Kazuko~**

When I had first closed my eyes a dense fog had appeared, descended and surrounded me. Then I became aware of the ground beneath me disappearing bit by bit until there was nothing left below me, yet I did not fall.

'_I think I liked the water better, at least I was aware of my surroundings there.'_ I thought as I floated in nothingness. I couldn't feel anything below me or around me. I was simply suspended in the sky without an idea of anything. I didn't know which way was up or down, east or west. I just continued to try and float my way to something, anything. Everywhere I looked all I could see was white and grey. I'm pretty sure I'm in a cloud or somewhere up high.

'_Koru said this was the element of freedom and guidance. Yet I have no idea where I am. Yea, some guide.' _ I thought with an eye roll.

I had been floating there for who knows how long, and had yet to see anything. I was technically surrounded by the element, since wind was made of air and I was apparently surrounded by air. I had yet to see the usually copy of myself and honestly I wasn't too disappointed with that. _'I'm starting to get annoying.'_ I thought as I went over the previous encounters with my copies and shook my head.

'_I wonder what would happen if I went to sleep here. It's not as if Koru would know plus, it's not like I'm doing anything here.'_ I thought as I looked around through the nothingness I was currently in._ 'If I just took a quick one or two week nap, I could still have most of the year to figure out wind mastery.' _I mused, the idea sounding better and better each time I repeated it to myself. Koru had said that demons can last a year with only one night of sleep. He was right, but that didn't mean we have to. I could still feel the weariness weighting me down. I could still function at full strength, but I still wanted a good month's sleep.

I looked around as if to make sure no one could see me slacking off. _'Yea there are other people just watching in the shadows.'_ I joked myself. I brought my arms up under my head and adjusted myself the best I could in this floating position. Thankfully my body was floating on a pretty level plain so I felt comfortable enough. With a heavy sigh I closed my eyes and let myself drift off.

"What do you think you're doing?" I heard just as I closed my eyes. Just when I had felt myself starting to truly relax and release, I felt a huge gust of wind begin to form as if I were standing beside a tornado. I also felt a warm embrace almost as if I were being hugged by someone.

I snapped my eyes open only to see nothing but the white and grey surrounding, and as soon as I opened my eyes the wind stopped and the embrace was gone. '_What the hell?'_ I thought as I looked around, still unable to find any trace of where that voice had come from.

"Maybe Koru was wrong and demons _can_ get mental fatigue from lack of sleep." I thought out loud with an inward groan and decided to try and lull myself back to sleep again.

Again once I closed my eyes the winds started up, the embrace was back and that voice returned.

"Why do you choose to ignore your training? Time is short and not to be wasted sleeping." The voice said, and though I couldn't see the owner of the voice I knew I recognized it.

This time I tried to ignore the voice and get some sleep, if only briefly. The winds picked up.

Again I snapped my eyes open only for the wind to stop and for no one to be seen.

"So it's finally happening. I'm going insane." I mumbled as I tried to decide what course of action I should do. "Maybe I should try and wake myself up, make Koru let me sleep and then I can try this again." I decided. "Now… how would I wake myself up?" I pondered and figured that every time I've woken up from the training I had closed my eyes, though normally a dragon did something to help me. "I can try to bring myself back and just try and ignore the wind and voice and the surprisingly comforting embrace."

For the third time I closed my eyes and again the wind picked up around me.

"Trying to escape will not work here." The voice commented.

"Shut up." I muttered in the direction I heard the voice come from and was tempted to try and huddle myself into the warm embrace.

"Why do you keep trying then? You know you'll only fail in the end." The voice continued.

"Nice try, but that's not going to work. I've come to terms with my emotions and doubts and I have learned to control them." I said with a small smirk of satisfaction that I finally had something over the voice.

"You've learned how to hold them in." The voice said and I felt a sharp pain cut through my right arm from shoulder to elbow. The feel of the cut was similar to the Dance of the Wind Kagura used the only difference being that the attack felt as if I had been hit from within my own body instead of from an external force. As I raised my left arm to feel for the cut, I could feel nothing on the outside, but I felt a twinge of pain from within my arm as I passed my hand over it. "True you've stopped them from damaging you on the outside, but now they can just tear you apart from the inside." The voice remarked

"You've got to be kidding me." I grumbled. _'So I learned how to control my emotions for nothing?' _I thought sourly. _'Let me get my hands on that fire dragon after this. We're really going to have a nice long __**chat**__!'_

"You place blame on all but know that there is only yourself to blame." The voice said and I really wished I could see the owner of the voice so I could level them with a good glare.

"Why can't you just tell me what I'm supposed to learn here so that I can get out of here? You're me right? So why would you choose to not help yourself?" I questioned, assuming the voice was mine and simply was being distorted by the wind and also I was beginning to grow weary of the unhelpful copies.

"I am not you." The voice said and I gave a confused look, or the best I could with my eyes closed. "Turn around and open your eyes."

"Nice try, but every time I open my eyes you disappear." I snorted and again felt a slash hit me in the left shoulder blade from within. "Son of a bitch!" I growled from the pain. _"Though the wind also disappears and I'm willing to take the tradeoff.'_

"Open them." The voice said, a bit more forcefully.

'_Fine, not like I have anything to lose anyway.'_ I thought as I managed to get myself turned around and opened my eyes. My eyes opened wider than expected as I took in everything around me.

No longer was I floating in a white and grey nothingness. But I was now in the middle of a huge tornado. The dark grey winds swirled around me, whipping my hair around. Despite that, it wasn't the change of scenery that had caused me to be as surprised and speechless as I was now. No, instead it was the figure that had been embracing me.

"Sesshomaru?" I questioned quietly and got the smallest of a nod. "What are you doing here?" I questioned.

He didn't answer. Instead a blade of wind cut across my stomach, again the pain coming from within my body.

'_It's not the real him.´_ I thought, and even though I knew this, all I wanted was to stay in this copy's arms and forget about my training. Somehow I thought that if I could just keep holding him, it would make the copy real. _'I hadn't realized until now how much I've missed him. I've been so busy training.'_ I thought guiltily.

Thankfully, or maybe not, I didn't have long to wallow in my guilt as I felt another slash down my left thigh. I resisted the urge to clutch the new, unseen, wound, because I knew better. The moment my hand made contact with the area a dicing pain would follow. Instead I huddled against the copy as if this fake Sesshomaru could make the wind stop.

It seemed that the more I tried to get away from the wind and closer to Sesshomaru, the more times I was struck. Yet I didn't, or rather couldn't let go. Copy or not, this could be the only time I got to see and feel Sesshomaru's embrace during this decade of training.

I tried to tell myself that regardless if I let go or not, I couldn't locate where the attacks were coming from so I couldn't defend myself any better than I was now.

It was a lie and I knew it.

'_Just let me have this feeling for a few more minutes and then I'll get back to my training.'_ I pleaded in my mind to the wind dragon I knew had to be watching.

Again I wasn't aware of how much time passed as I reveled in the embrace, though the sharp slashes cut into the comfort.

"Ok, I'm ready." I said more to myself than anyone else. The Sesshomaru copy looked down at me with the slightest of looks that said 'About time'.

With a tremendous amount of will power I pulled away from the demon lord's copy, or tried to. As soon as I began to pull, the wind bit sharper into me, almost as if it didn't want me to leave the embrace.

'_Seriously, this is how it's going to be?' _I mentally screamed as I continued to pull against the wind and the embrace that had tightened significantly around my waist.

"Stay." Sesshomaru's voice was sharp and nothing close to the usual tone.

"You're not real." I responded while still pulling away.

"I stand before you." He returned.

"It still doesn't make you real." I answered.

"Your love for me is." He countered and it caused me to pause briefly.

"My love for Sesshomaru is real. You are not him and I have no feelings for a copy." I said, making sure to pick my words carefully. "And right now love, or no love, I have an obligation to fulfill and I can't let anyone get in the way." I finished in a growl as I gave one last jerk against the copy and the wind.

As soon as I made it out of the embrace, the wind abruptly stopped and I felt myself falling. I looked up as I fell to see the faintest of smiles on the copy's face before it disappeared with the tornado.

'_Great now I'm going to fall to my death.'_ I thought as I saw a green spec, I assumed to be the ground, growing larger and larger as I fell.

Just before I hit the ground I felt a huge, upward gust of wind that stifled my fall. I floated just above the surface of the grassy field before I dropped lightly onto the ground.

"Well done Shogakko Kazuko." I turned to see a white dragon with silver tints standing behind me.

"Thanks." I muttered awaiting the dragon to reveal the lesson I was supposed to learn.

"You learned that you cannot be deceived by what your eyes perceive. The element of wind comes from the air. Air cannot be seen only felt. It is only when it becomes worked up that it has a visible representation. The element of wind is also about freedom and letting go. You learned to control your emotions in your fire mastery, but you must now learn to let them go. Emotions can prove a weakness in the field of battle…" I cut the dragon off before it could continue.

"You sound like Sesshomaru." I huffed. "So are you telling me that I'm to become this emotionless killer in order to be a true Shogakko? If you are, I can tell you now that I will not."

The dragon actually chuckled instead of being offended that I had interrupted him. "As I was saying, it can prove to be a weakness on the field of battle, but it can also be your biggest strength. But you must know when to let go of your emotions, when they are causing more harm than help."

The dragon stepped forward to awaken me and again I stopped him.

"Is there any chance you can give me a heads up about the earth mastery? It's the only one I have left." I asked not expecting a positive answer.

"There is a pattern to this training." He said and placed his snout on my head. I closed my eyes and again felt he familiar pull of my consciousness leaving the mastery planes and re-entering my body.

"How can there be a pattern when I'm just choosing these at random." I grumbled as I stood up and stretched. I briefly studied the silver dragon that had now appeared around my left calf. The head rested on the top of my foot and the body wrapped around to my knee.

"What took you so long? It's already spring, you've been out for more than a year." Koru asked with a hint of true concern, though most of his tone was laced in amusement as if he knew exactly what had caused my delay.

"I'm hungry." I responded not wanting to give him any satisfaction of knowing why I was out of it for so long.

He motioned to the food laid out before me. Again we entered the ritual of me eating while he and Dagger filled me in on the need-to-know things going on. I was ecstatic to hear that Sango and Miroku had finally gotten married and asked Dagger to pass along a message to them for me.

Once I finished eating I didn't waste any time in trying to sleep. I was out before I even swallowed the last bite. The time flew by as fast as always and soon I was waking to Dagger prodding my side with his nose.

"Last one." Koru said in the most serious tone I had ever heard him use.

"Yea, last one." I said and walked over to the pile of boulders and took a seat on the last one. "Let's get this over with." I said before closing my eyes.


	29. Year Four: Growth

**Howdy!  
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**Thanks so much for all the reviews we've hit over 100 reviews! It warms my stomach :D  
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**So the prevailing vote was to make an account on AdultFanFiction and post 'extended' versions there. I have done so and have the link to my profile on my page. Just go to the profile and all the 'extended' versions of my stories will be posted there.  
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**Yes I said stories, because I am working on three other stories right now, so that's why the delay has been a bit longer than normal. But please bear with me.  
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**I think that's all for now.  
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**So I bring you the next chapter in 'Where I Belong'.  
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**Enjoy! :D  
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><p><strong>~Year Four~<br>~Growth~**

**~Swift~**

Traveling with Lord Sesshomaru is different.

He is a dog demon but he lacks or rejects many of the things that define dog demons. I should know, since I was once one, or at least a feral one.

The western lord does not engage in pack sharing, where packs come together and go over the events of the day. Actually the western lord hasn't spoken since we originally left the western castle. The annoying little imp does enough talking for everyone in the group, especially when someone crosses our path.

The green annoyance acts as if I am hiding something and has been constantly prodding me for answers. I don't completely blame him, because I am on edge and I know it shows. I should have never agreed to keep this secret, even if it was for Lady Kazuko. If only Jaken knew what giant weakness his master was carrying around, he might shut his trap instead of provoking the demons that come across us.

Sesshomaru also does not allow the closeness and comfort that dog demons desire, though I do feel that he secretly desires it. Dogs are pack animals and I find it extremely hard to believe that he can just cast aside his pack instincts, he may be able to restrain them, but he cannot get rid of them. I also suspect that this comes from the fact that he was a lone pup, which is quite a rarity in dog demon packs. Thus the western lord has probably never had anyone to truly learn to bond with.

It's no secret that the Dog General only mated and bedded with Sesshomaru's mother because of the council's insistence that he produce a pure-bred heir and that she left soon after Sesshomaru was born. They were the last two pure-bred dog demons left.

Dog demon pups spend the first several decades sleeping in large dog piles with their parents and siblings, but I'm sure that Sesshomaru did not get to experience this. With the Dog General having to attend to his lands and his mother gone, Sesshomaru must have had a lonely upbringing, which explains his rejection of pack mentality.

It makes me relieved that he's found a mate in Kazuko. Even though I haven't known her very long she seems very outgoing and even a bit child-like in her behaviors, something Sesshomaru has probably never truly had.

Katrina, Ryo and Shippo told us how Kazuko and Sesshomaru ended up together, so I can guess that they're feelings for each other while are strong, are not nearly as strong as they will be in the future. Even if their mating was unexpected and unplanned she's good for him and I think he's finally realized it.

During the spring he had paused and stared intently at an old oak tree we had passed. I swear I had felt Kazuko's presence radiating from it, but she was nowhere to be seen. The western lord refused to leave the area for a week, even after her presence disappeared.

**~Shippo~**

Krein is going to join the Ryu-Inu clan.

She's told me she wants to come back with us to the Ryu-Inu village and become part of the clan.

The half fox, half Ryu-Inu female told me this at the start of summer. She says she loves it at the northern castle, but she feels as if she belongs somewhere else. Krein has also said that she wants to help restore the clan of the mother she never knew. Lord Di must have known how she felt, because he didn't seem all that surprise when she finally gathered the nerve to tell him of her choice. I've told her that I'm sure she'll be welcomed and we can talk to Kazuko at the end of the decade.

I'm really happy that she's decided to come. Over the past few years she had become a really good friend who is like an older sister to me. She shows me things when Lord Di has business to attend to, which has become more frequent since talks of an alliance between the east and south reached us. I confided in her my feelings for Rin and she says she can understand my sadness at knowing it could never be.

She purposely tries to keep me busy so to keep my mind off of the raven haired girl. It helps a lot but I cannot escape the feelings for Rin. I remind myself that this is not a matter of me being a demon and her being a human, but that by the time I would be ready to take a mate, Rin would be of old age, or even…dead.

Rin has written me and said that Sesshomaru has not returned to the village and she is no longer permitted to go to the western castle. She says she feels as if she is being cast out, but I've tried to convince her that this is being done for her safety. She won't listen.

Now that Miroku and Sango's wedding has passed, Rin no longer has it to keep her busy. Plus both Miroku and Sango have gone back to the slayer's village to rebuild it with the help of some other slayer clans.

Rin's letters are getting colder and less frequent. I feel as if she's no longer writing out of joy like she did before, but instead as if she feels it's an obligation since they are Kagome and the other's only way of knowing any information on Kazuko or information we have gotten on Naraku. No longer does she ask about my training or even how I am. Now she gets straight to the point of asking how Kazuko, Ryo and Katina are doing in their training and if we've heard anything else from out of the east. Never before has she asked about Naraku, but now she asks more about news on him than anything about me.

I fear that Rin's initial sadness is turning into a hatred for demons because to her, we are the ones that have cast her aside, even though there were humans involved, all she sees is Sesshomaru, Jaken, Kazuko, Inuyasha, Izu and I as being the ones involved.

But that's what they sent her to the village for right? They wanted her to be more like the other humans and learn to live among them. Hatred and fear of demons is what most humans have. Right? So why is it I have this stabbing in my chest every time I think of how Rin's behavior is changing?

**~Katina~**

Leaf has been great.

I've learned that we can draw upon each other and nature for greater healing, though right now it's more of me drawing on her powers than the other way around. But I intend to return the favor as soon as I can. One thing that I've been taught is to never completely drain the life source of whatever you are using to heal an injury. That's why in most cases trees and grass make the best resources since they have more life energy than just about anything else.

With Leaf's added power I can now mend muscles, though bones are still out of my grasp. I'm learning that in order to heal a wound, you have to know the full extent of the injury, the correct way the muscles are supposed to mend and what goes into the healing. I draw upon nature for the elements needed to mend the wound.

We haven't even begun to discuss how to repair severed appendages or regenerate them, other than to know that it is possible. I can only image the work that must be put into it and the resources from nature that would have to be used.

To my surprise the mages have even told me that one can be brought back to life, but it is a very tricky, and risky, spell. As with all injuries, you have to have enough life energy to restore what has been lost. Bringing back someone is the only time when we would have to completely drain the life of another. A life for a life. I've learned that typically that's why capturing enemies alive was so common among Ryu clans, because then they would take the life of the enemy to bring back their fallen comrades.

But there are also rules. The life has to be on an equal or greater field than the one that it is bringing back. Children cannot bring back adults, animals cannot bring back humans, and humans cannot bring back demons, and so on. It is also a matter of time. If the soul reapers have already carried off the soul, then it is too late to bring the person back. It also requires immense concentration and power from the mage, because not only do they have to transfer the life energy, but they also have to heal the fatal wound, so that the person does not die again from the same wound. The Ryu-Okami have told me that sometimes even the mages die because they have used too much of their own energy to bring someone back.

Ryo's pretty happy that his father's swords are working better for him. He finally gotten them to ignite with his power and stay that way for a little while during his training, though it takes him a moment to concentrate and get them to work. He tells me that his father was able to get them to ignite with a single touch, and that he's aiming for that. I'm excited for him and hope he can get the swords to work in the way his father could.

Masaru has written and told us about the new arrivals at the camp, and we've written back to tell him that the two half Ryu-Inu, half-Ryu-Okami twins, Kita and Kiyoshi, have said they wish to come back with us as well. The Ryu-Okamis have been very accepting of their choice, and I get the feeling that they had already discussed this.

It's good to know our little clan is growing.

**~Moon~**

Totosai must have a death wish.

Again he has yet to work on the weapons that we have commissioned him for. Patience for the weapon smith among all of the guardians is running thin. We no longer report to Masaru about the lack of progress and instead tell Sage. Yet even Sage is starting to get a bit ticked off and that's saying something.

Thankfully we've had a few events in the past year to take our minds off of the problem with Totosai for now. At the end of spring a group of travelers, numbering in fourteen wandered into our camp. At first we were wary of them because they smelled heavily of the south and of bull. While we weren't at war with the south, word had gotten around that Lord Ryku had a meeting with Toro and rumor is that the south may be forming an alliance with the east.

Yet under the smell of east and bull we picked up the blend of Ryu-Inu in their blood.

Two were three-fourths Ryu-Inu and one-fourth Ryu-Neko; two males named Fuho and Wei. Fuho appeared around twelve in human years. He had the signature silver hair of Inus with orange streaks running through it, yellow eyes, an orange feline tail and pointed ears. Wei appeared to be twenty in human years. He had black hair with black dog ears poking out of the top of his head, silver eyes, and a black canine tail.

One was three-fourths Ryu-Inu and one-fourth Ryu Tori; a male named Nyko, who was the youngest of the group. He looked three in human years. He had glowing purple eyes, steely gray hair with two black, baby horns sticking out about an inch, a gray bull's tail with a black tuff of hair at the end, and pointed ears.

Four had been half Ryu-Inu and half Ryu-Toro; three females named Sira, Ayki and Pyra, and one male named Iko. Sira and Ayki were identical twins who appeared to be eighteen. They appeared to be full Ryu-Inu with their silver hair, blue eyes, silver canine tails and pointed ears. Pyra looked twelve. She had light blue hair, silver eyes, a light blue bull's tail and pointed ears. Iko was the oldest of the group, appearing twenty-one. He had black hair, red eyes, black horns, a black canine tail and pointed ears.

Three had been half Ryu-Inu and half Ryu-Neko; one female named Lia, and two males named Tryu and Hio. Lia appeared eleven. She had yellow hair, yellow feline ears, blue eyes and a yellow canine tail. Tryu, brother of Lia, appeared fourteen. He had yellow hair, silver canine ears, blue eyes and a silver canine tail. Hio also looked fourteen. He had orange hair, an orange feline tail, green eyes and pointed ears.

One had been one-fourth Ryu-Neko; a male named Meipo. He looked four. He had green hair, silver canine ears, a green feline tail and purple eyes.

The last three had been one-fourth Ryu-Inu and three-fourth Ryu-Toro; three males named Po, Riyu, and Xio. They were triplets all appearing around fifteen. Po had black hair, a silver canine tail, yellow eyes and pointed ears. Riyu had silver hair, an orange feline tail, green eyes and pointed ears. Xio had black hair, an orange canine tail, blue eyes and silver canine ears.

We found out that this group had been orphans who went into hiding after the slaughter of the Ryu-Inu clan because word had gotten out that the previous eastern lord wanted to make sure every drop of Ryu-Inu blood was erased. They had found each other over the years and gone into hiding in the southern lands, but now with word of the alliance they knew it wouldn't be safe for them to stay in the south.

Iko, who was apparently their leader, said they had heard that full-blooded Ryu-Inus had returned to the west and Iko says their little group had been searching for us ever since. Each humbly bowed and asked to join our clan.

Masaru is a bit cautious of them for now, but has agreed to let them stay. His only rule is that no one speaks of where Kazuko and the others really are, in front of them.

**~Kana~**

Lord Toro went behind Naraku's back.

Somehow the bull king managed to arrange and have the meeting with the southern lord, all while Naraku was out hunting new, stronger demons to absorb. The bull is craftier than he looks.

Naraku is furious but he maintains his composure and has not let Toro know that he has gotten under Naraku's skin. Toro seems disappointed. I believe the bull intended for this to be a nuisance to Naraku. Toro still maintains that he is the leader in the east, but Kagura and I know better. Naraku allows Toro to still feel in charge, because he does not want to cause a dispute yet. But Naraku is the true leader here and once the war starts, he will make it known.

Both Toro and Naraku are fuming over the loss of one of the spies sent to observe the Ryu-Inu village. The spy has not reported back in months, and another of the spies says they believe they saw him captured by the feral looking Ryu-Inus.

The same spy that reported this has also reported that despite no signs of the three original Ryu-Inus, there has been an increase of people in the Ryu-Inu village. He says somewhere between ten and fifteen new demons have come into the village and it looks as if they are to stay. The most interesting part is that these demons have traces of Ryu-Inu blood in them.

For once Toro wasn't surprised while Naraku had no idea what to make of this information. Toro informed us that he was aware of a few young who had Ryu-Inu heritage fleeing after his father ordered the killing of the clan and anyone who shared the Ryu-Inu blood. He said they were all young, none older than three hundred years at the time, so the bulls had not tracked them down. Toro says they assumed rouge demons would take care of them. Naraku wants more information on this group, but Toro says they're too young to make a difference. I feel he is wrong.

No matter how hard I try I cannot find any signs of the one called Kazuko in my mirror. I found Sesshomaru wandering his lands and she is not with him. I have found the fox training among other foxes, and still no sign of her. The other two, Katina and Ryo are somewhere with wolves, but she remains out of my sight. There is one mountain range that when I try and see it, some barrier blocks me. I think she may be there.

Somehow Naraku feels safe enough to go through another one of his extractions, or he has no choice. His body and control is becoming unstable with so many new, powerful demons having been absorbed. He is going into hiding so that he may cast out the weaker demons and have a better control over the stronger ones. He has only told me this, as he still does not trust Kagura. Naraku says the process will take up to a year. He has a castle hidden within the mountain range that borders the east and north and he will be going there soon.

He's told Toro that he's going to talk with the northern lord and other small unallied clans. Naraku said that if Toro can get an alliance with the southern lands, then why not try for the northern lands as well. The north was once great allies with the west during the dog General's rule, and Toro tells Naraku it is pointless to try. Naraku insist that it would not hurt to try, though he is only trying to make sure that Toro does not know the real reason he is leaving.

**~Kagome~**

I saw Shippo.

It wasn't the little kid Shippo and he wasn't in the feudal era.

I saw an adult Shippo in my time.

At first I believed that my mind was playing tricks on me because I had been missing the little guy. But I clearly remember it.

"_So Kagome? How's things been since you moved in with your bad boy?" Yuka asked as we wandered through the main square of the Tokyo Annual Demon Festival. She was referring to the lie I had come up with for why I wasn't attending college after graduation._

"_Things are ok. His brother got married, but his wife is away on a business trip." I said hearing the own wistfulness in my voice._

"_Oh, so when are you two going to going to?" Eri asked with a devious glint in her eye._

"_Going to what?" I asked, turning as something caught my eye._

"_Get married duh!" Ayumi burst out, earning a few glances our way from the others around us._

_I nearly ran into a support beam for one of the tents as Ayumi shouted and I stuttered to come up with something to say back. Thankfully Eri diverted everyone's attention._

"_Hey look! Those have to be the most realistic costumes I've seen!" She said motioning to a group of three talking not too far off from us. I could feel their demonic auras from here, though they were clearly suppressed._

_The female of the group was dressed normally enough as she was dressed in black jeans and a white hoodie. It was the tan, fox tail that came from under her hoodie with a silver tip that brushed the ground as she walked, that gave her away. She also had two fuzzy ears perked on top of her head that looked a mixture of fox and dog, that were the same tan as her tail only with light purple tips. The hair around it was an orange with silver and violet streaks running through it that ran to her waist. She had her back facing us and I could not see her eyes. She appeared no older than thirteen and was shorter than me._

_The shorter and perceivably younger male didn't differ from the female much in physical appearance. He wore a pair of slightly baggy blue jeans and a green zip up jacket that was half zipped, with a solid black tee showing. His tail was the same tan only it was completely tan, no extra color on the tip. His ears were solid silver and peaked out from orange hair that was cut short and had a silver streak running from each ear. From the way he was half-turned I could see green in his left eye. He also appeared thirteen and was my height._

_And then there was Shippo._

_He was now taller than Inuyasha, perhaps as tall as Sesshomaru. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a red shirt with a leaf print on the chest. No longer was he the skinny, weak kid. His muscles were well toned and visible, though not in an overrated way like body builders, and it earned him several looks from passing women. It was clear that he was strong, and knowing he was a demon I could only imagine how strong. His orange hair was cut short and in a ponytail, showing off his pointed ears. His green eyes the same as I remembered. His tan tail had lengthened into a true fox's tail that ran to the bottom of his knees. I caught a glimpse of fang as he laughed at something one of the other two said._

"_Let's go see where they got their costumes. I would love to get one for next year. It's not overdone like everyone else, but it's still pretty believable." Eri said referring to people who came dressed in giant costumes that were more animal than human representation of demons._

"_Yea me too." Yuka cheered as they headed for the three._

"_What's taking so long?" The younger male was saying as we got closer._

"_Your mother has gone to find your uncle, his mate and your cousins, Taichi." Shippo responded._

"_It shouldn't take this long." Taichi groaned._

"_You know mom took the triplets with her. They're probably out making trouble again." The female said with a shake of her head._

"_The two of you weren't exactly angels when you were their age, Kiyoko." Shippo responded with a chuckle._

"_Yea, but dad, there were only two of us. Those three are like an army of disaster." Taichi said defensively._

"_The two of you made enough trouble for three." Shippo huffed, he almost reminded me of Inuyasha in the way he crossed his arms._

"_It's the fox in us, makes us mischievous." Kiyoko said with a smile._

"_That's what your mother always said." Shippo laughed and lowered his gaze to a ringing phone he pulled out of his pocked. "Hey mate…yea they're still with me, you find your brother and his family?…What do you mean they destroyed it? We just bought that truck; this is going to cost us a fortune! ...Ok, ok don't kill them… yet. We're on our way; just make sure they don't touch anything else." He gave a long sigh as he hung up the phone and placed it back in his pocket._

"_The triplets?" Kiyoko and Taichi asked in unison._

"_Yea let's go before your mother kills them." He said shaking his head and leading the younger two away and into the crowd of people._

"_Aww, they got away." Eri pouted as she watched them go._

"_The Festival still has a week and a half to go. I bet we'll see them again. I doubt they would have such expensive costumes for only one day." Ayumi suggested._

But I didn't see them again and I wish that I had. There was so much I wanted to ask Shippo. It was nice to know that he found a mate and had children of his own. As of late it hadn't been a secret that the fox demon held some pretty strong feelings for Rin. It would have been nice to meet his mate, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

I told Inuyasha about it and he thinks I've just gone crazy. I even took him to the festival a few days after I saw Shippo, and he said he couldn't pick up any traces of demons. But it's ok because I know what I saw, though it does just make me miss little Shippo more.

**~Kazuko~**

'_Finally a peaceful place.'_ I thought as I looked around the field I was in. It was a large forest with leafy greenery as far as the eye could see.

I wandered through the forest waiting for the inevitable attack to come, having grown bored of sitting in the same place. The grass felt cool and inviting under my feet. Again the thought of sleeping a few weeks crossed my mind, but after what happened last time I quickly shook it away. The only part that was off was the stillness of the air and the lack of life outside of myself. The leaves just hung there, never moving so much as an inch.

Despite where I was, I couldn't help but smile. This was the last element. I had managed to master the other three in three years, a year a piece. Hopefully this one wouldn't take longer than a year and I could finish this training early. I really missed seeing others, as was made clear by my wind mastery. The only others I saw were copies, and brief minutes of Koru and Dagger while I ate. I was looking forward to getting off this mountain and seeing my friends, and mate, again.

"Come out, come out wherever you are." I called in a bored tone, as I leaned against a particularly large oak tree.

"As you wish."

I tried to turn and see where the voice had come from, but was stopped as vines found their way around me and chained me to the tree that I had been leaning against.

"Yay." I grunted as I looked around the best I could without being able to move my body. "Alright so let me guess, the more I fight the more I'm going to get hurt some kind. Koru said that earth is the element of healing and serenity, so I have to learn to come to peace with something?" I questioned wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

"That's a very insightful guess, but not quite." The voice said again and I saw a large green dragon with brown markings appear before me.

"You're early." I commented.

"Every Shogakko's path of training is different chosen by what stands as their biggest challenge in reaching their destinies. Yours, Shogakko Kazuko is your emotions. Thus you started with water to learn how to not be overwhelmed with your emotions and let them flow through and with you. Once you finished there you moved on to fire where you learned to control your emotions. Then you moved to air where you learned to release your emotions. And lastly you are here, where you must learn to heal the scars from your emotions, as well as learn to become in tune with the emotions and feelings of all living around you." The dragon said.

"So I was subconsciously following a pattern?" I said more to myself.

"Indeed. You were born with a natural mastery of electricity, the element of spontaneity and speed, because emotionally you've already mastered it." I think I detected a chuckle in the dragon's voice.

"Alright, I'm here to learning healing and how to be in tune with the emotions of those around me. How am I going to do that if no one else is here?" I questioned.

"Through these…" The dragon said motioning a wing in a sweeping motion towards the trees. "Trees are the true guardians of the world; some have been around for more centuries than even I. They record history better than any scribe ever could and deep within you will find secrets that no one has ever seen." He started. "The trees will show you." He said coming over and placing his snout on my head.

I closed my eyes and felt myself being pulled into the tree. I tried not to panic, but as I felt the bark encircling my body I couldn't help the slight whimper that escaped, while I kept my eyes closed.

"_Where am I?" I wondered as I looked around. I felt ghost-like and I could see straight through my body which now had a greenish hue. As I looked around I could see that I was back in the forest near Kaede's village. "I don't see Inuyasha's Tree and that one kind of sticks out." I grumbled as I felt something brush past me, and turned to see Inuyasha's Tree right behind me. "Oh there it is…"_

"_Leave me alone!" I turned to see a small red blur charging through the forest, followed by three nasty looking bear demons._

'Is that Inuyasha?'_ I thought as I ran to catch up with the small half-demon. As I closed in I could see that I was right. The small red blur, was Inuyasha and he was running with a look of pure fear on his face. _'What is he doing out here alone?' _I continued to follow the half dog child, wishing I could help him._

"_We're going to eat good tonight! The only thing a half-breed is good for is dinner." One of the bear demons said as they continued to chase._

_I watched as Inuyasha managed to slip into a small fox's hole under a tree, and the bear demons lose him. I felt a huge wave a sorry and pity wash over me as I watched the poor half-demon cry and curse his heritage. I could tell that these emotions were coming from the trees around us._

I was soon sucked into another flash back into Inuyasha's life. From there I continued to get glimpses into his life all the way up to Kikyo sealing him with her arrow. When the arrow struck the tree I could feel both the tree's pain and Inuyasha's emotions of betrayal.

"_I don't want to stay at the shrine father." A young boy's voice called._

'Guess I'm done with Inuyasha now.' _I thought as I looked around the shrine that was centered in the middle of a forest with a water fall behind it._

"_I will not always be here Miroku, and you must continue your monk training." A man's voice answered._

"_But why can't you teach me father?" The young Miroku whined as I could see the pair coming up a long stretch of stairs. Miroku was dressed in a similar smaller robe that I was used to seeing him in, and his father was wearing a matching set. The older male was carrying the staff that Miroku always had with him and Miroku's hands were bare except for his prayer beads._

_The two continued in silence until they reached the front sliding door of the shrine._

"_Mushin!" The older monk called out._

"_Huh, oh you're here huh?" And elderly looking monk slid the door open and walked out, a sake bottle firmly in his grasp. "So this is the young Miroku, he looks just like you." He said to Miroku's father._

"_I am entrusting him in your care Mushin." Miroku's father said grasping his cursed hand tightly. "I fear my time has drawn to an end." He added. Now that I looked closely I could see a fine sheet of sweat covering Miroku's father and his expression looked pain. He handed over his staff to his son with a sad smile. "Someday you'll defeat Naraku so that this cursed tunnel will not be the end of you, as it will be me."_

"_What do you mean father? Father?" Miroku shouted, as his father quickly stepped away into the open field beside the shrine, but Mushin kept a firm hold on the boy._

_I watched with wide eyes as a blinding light emitted from his cursed hand and a large wind begin to pick up. With Miroku and Mushin, I watched as Miroku's father was engulfed by his own wind tunnel. By the time it finished, the young Miroku was now hoarse from his screaming, and I could feel my own tears blurring my vision._

"_Come I'll help you with your grief." Mushin said steering the grieving bow away from the large crater that was now beside the shrine._

"_Are we going to perform the death ritual?" Miroku sniffle. _

"_Sure when we get back. But for now, I believe a trip to the bathhouses will help." Mushin said with a lecherous smirk._

I gave a shake of my head with a slight smile. From there I was pushed into the memories of Miroku up to the point when he met Kagome and Inuyasha. Seeing Miroku's journey only renewed my wish to destroy Naraku so that he did not die like his father.

"_Sango are you sure you want that particular weapon? Perhaps a Bone Scythe or a set of daggers would be better suited for you." I looked towards the man, I guessed to be Sango's father, talk to his daughter as they stood in the center of large weapon's room. I couldn't help the shiver that ran through me as I could feel that every weapon in here was made from the bones and skins of demons._

"_No father, I want the same weapon as you." The young Sango said with a light pout._

"_As you wish." He said picking up the Hiraikotsu and handing it over to his daughter, who promptly fell under the weight of the giant bone boomerang. "The first part of your training will be getting the strength to lift the Hiraikotsu, and we'll continue with your sword training until then." He said._

"_Don't worry father, I won't let you down." Sango said as she pulled herself from under the weapon. _

_Her father gave a small smile as she continued to try and at least prop the weapon up._

From there I saw Sango's struggle to strengthen herself into a proper slayer, and I noticed she was the only female slayer, all the other women were field workers. I cringed at the numerous demons she had killed, while earning the respect of her fellow slayers. Then I watched the treachery of Naraku and her meeting with Inuyasha and the others.

Once I had finished with Sango's life, I was then taken into Kagome's and Shippo's memories. Theirs weren't as bad as the three before them, but still not as easy as I had assumed. I was even surprised that I was taken into Kikyo, Naraku, and Toro's memories. The trees truly had seen everything and now I had a much more realistic look at those around me. I thought I was done but I felt myself being pulled into one another memory.

"_Where is mother going?" I heard a child's voice ask._

'Sesshomaru?'_ I thought as my eyes locked on the young, and __**adorable**__, Sesshomaru that stood next to a very large and powerful looking demon._

"_Your mother is returning to her sky palace." The demon said in a gruff voice._

"_When will she return?" Sesshomaru asked._

"_Only time will tell. Now, you must resume your training. I have business in the north to attend to. Izu will watch after you while I am away." The dog general said. As he spoke a younger, livelier Izu stood in the doorway of the grand castle. The fox was lean and powerful with the build of a true warrior, unlike the aged fox that inhabited the castle now._

"_Father, can't I come with you?" Sesshomaru asked and dipped his head when his father shook his head._

"_Maybe when you're older and stronger, Sesshomaru." He said and took off towards the north._

"_Come prince Sesshomaru. Today we will start sword training." Izu said guiding the young dog demon back into the castle._

I watched as Sesshomaru grew, mostly under the direction of Izu, though even the fox only acted as teacher and guardian of the western heir until he was old enough to care for himself. Sesshomaru's mother never came back. The dog general came around rarely, and stayed only a short amount of time before going off for business again. The only time the two dog demons spent together was when Inu Tashio was teaching Sesshomaru fighting styles that only dog demons knew. Otherwise, Sesshomaru spent most of his time alone rigorously going over his training and building up his strength. I watched all the way up until the Dog General died saving Inuyasha and his mother.

'No wonder he's so closed in.' I thought as I found myself in a dense forest I recognized as being near the border between the west and east. In this distance I could see three figures heading my way, and my eyes sparked when I recognized them as Jaken, Swift and Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru!" I shouted, knowing that he wouldn't be able to hear me. I watched as the western lord froze and his golden eyes turned to stare directly at me. Even though I knew he couldn't see me, just seeing him, the real him, gave me some comfort before I felt myself being brought back into my body that was no longer bound to the tree, but now sitting at its base.

"Now you know of those around you and their emotions. You can see how they have overcome their emotions and have worked to heal the wounds their past has given them. You've also seen what happens to those who do not allow that healing to take place." The dragon said as he still stood before me.

"Yea, I had no idea." I said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Take your knowledge and allow yourself to heal and help those around you heal as well." The dragon said placing his snout to my forehead again.

"Congratulations. You've mastered the five elements." Koru said as I opened my eyes to see him and Dagger sitting before me, with food waiting.

"Thanks." I said, beginning to eat. They filled me in on the news going around and it seemed all was going well. "So…" I started when they had finished. "I've mastered all the elements in only four years. So does this mean I can go back early?" I asked hopefully.

Koru gave a chuckle and shook his head. "That was only level one. It's time to start level two. I'll explain in the morning. So I suggest you get that night's sleep."

"I really should learn to stop getting my hopes up with you, huh?" I said with a sigh.

"That would probably help you in the long run. But because of how well you've done, I'll let you have two days' rest." He said with a smile.

His mouth moved as he said something else, but I was already gone into my dreamless sleep to hear him.


	30. Year Five: Who is Here and Who is Not

**Howdy all!  
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**Thanks for all the reviews, they make me so happy!  
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**Again, just a reminder that the 'extended versions' of my stories will be on AFF, and the link can be found on my profile. As far knowing when there is an 'extended' section in a chapter, I will always let you guys know up here in the author's note. Otherwise, the chapter on AFF will be the exact same as the one on here.  
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**I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'!  
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**Enjoy! :D  
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><p><strong>~Year Five~<br>~Who is Here and Who is Not~**

**~Sesshomaru~**

Kazuko is not here.

It's been five years now and the feeling hasn't gotten any easier to deal with. I am unused to such emotions and have no idea what to do to handle them, not that I would admit this to anyone, including the two accompanying me.

The guardian, Swift, travels with me because he knows of my sealed inner demon. Thus Swift is to serve as one who could go find 'help' should we encounter a situation I cannot handle. The thought of needing such assistance makes disgusts me. I am the lord of the west and I have been reduced to something I do not recognize and used to look down upon.

Jaken simply tailed along and I didn't care enough to tell him to stay at the castle. The little imp has been a nuisance since we left and it has crossed my mind to make the pest go back to the castle or leave him for rouge demons to find.

The castle is vacant now. It had always held little appeal to me, and I had left it as soon as I got a chance, only returning when business called me to. But now seems unappealing in a different way, now it seems empty and hollow.

When news of what happened at the council meeting got out, the activities in my lands increased as demons seem to prepare for war. Now that it has been a few years with Toro and Naraku appearing to keep to themselves, and my resuming patrols of my lands, the activity has dulled back down. I still hear the whispers about war, and I know that it will come eventually, most likely when Kazuko finishes her training.

I had not shown objective to her training, after the initial confrontation with the northern general because I reasoned with myself that she be able to defend herself and our future pups. But I will not allow her to fight in this war. She is obviously the main target and reason behind this war, and Naraku, Toro and all their minions will be going after her. When she returns I'll send the most elite warriors in my army with her to hide until the war is over, or perhaps have her return to wherever it is the well near Inuyasha's village takes her.

I know of Toro's meeting with the Ryku and I am not surprised the panther would so easily join forces with the east. Lord Ryku and his clan have long held a hatred for the west, dating back to before our grandsires. This hatred was only increased when the panther clan became indebted to mine after my father recued Lord Ryku's daughter.

I have also heard that Naraku made a visit to the north and that put me on edge. I had thought to go and see what the spider demon wanted, but had to remind myself of my…limitations. Plus it would only raise questions of why I would be so concerned with the north, when I had no reaction when Toro visited the south. So for now I am watchful and attentive to all around me to make sure that Naraku does not try anything.

**~Shippo~**

Naraku was here.

He was in the northern castle at the beginning of the year, and I have a bad feeling about it. I'm not sure if he saw me or not, but either way I don't like him being in the North where we are. As soon as I saw him I turned and ran, because I didn't want him to get any ideas of Ryo, Katina or Kazuko being here.

The only bright side is that no one knows where Kazuko is, besides Dagger and Koru, and Koru never comes by, and I trust Dagger to keep the secret no matter what, so even if Naraku tried to get information he couldn't. Yet I know Naraku well enough to know that he has some trick up his sleeve. Being here training has helped me to no longer be the scared kit that I was before. I can't stand up to a demon as powerful as Naraku, but I can help now. I'm not sure what Naraku's plan is yet, but I plan to find out.

Dagger was here when Naraku showed up, but I don't think Naraku is familiar enough with the Ryu-Inu clan to understand what Dagger's presence means. Dagger has told me that he doesn't plan to tell Kazuko about Naraku's presence. Instead he is going to tell Koru and leave it up to the other Shogakko to decide of Kazuko needs to know or not.

Shadow, Moon and Claw showed up a few days before Naraku showed up, saying they had something for Kazuko. Dagger took it with him, and I never got a chance to see what it was. Lord Di was kind enough to allow them to stay the night, and they've told me about the new arrivals at the Ryu-Inu village. I introduced them to Krein and told them about how she wanted to join the clan. They've said that they can't make that decision, only Kazuko can, but they seem confident that Krein will be welcomed.

Rin's letters are gone, now there are simply reports and questions. She only writes what I believe Kagome and the others want her to ask. She doesn't even pretend to be interested anymore. Her last letter was short and read:

_Kagome and the others want to know if any news has come about Kazuko or Naraku. They have not received any recent news._

That was all it had said. I told her about Naraku's arrival and I still ask how she is even if she no longer answers. I still don't agree with Inuyasha's pinning over Kikyo, but I am beginning to understand how he felt. To want something, that you know in your heart could never be… it's tough.

**~Ryo~**

Naraku was here.

Though I've never had an encounter with the cursed half-demon I've heard about, and the miasma that radiates off him is something that cannot be mistaken. Only pure evil could have something so toxic actually release from his pores, and not die.

He passed by the village twice; once heading to the castle and the other come from it. Each time scouts from the Ryu-Okami clan warned us and we were able to hide out scents and stay out of sight each time. The time he was leaving the castle he actually stopped by the village. We've been told that his eyes were narrowed as if he were searching for something or trying to figure something out, but he didn't say anything. Hopefully the scent of wolf was so heavy that he wouldn't be able to pick up our dog scent.

Naraku's trip has the entire north on edge, as word has gotten around that he asked for Lord Di to consider an alliance with the east and south. Numerous clan leaders are coming and going from the north. A few ignorant ones think that they should join with the east and south, so that they can ensure victory if a war were to breakout, obviously unaware of the western lady's presence in their lands.

Thankfully the majority of the northern clans are against joining Naraku. They've heard of the crimes he's committed and do not wish to follow such a traitor, that is not a full demon, or even a true half demon.

Lord Di has yet to give an official answer, and has said that he will give his response at the next council meeting. Kiba, the Ryu-Okami leader, tells us that this is Lord Di's way of avoiding a confrontation or conflict within his lands. Kiba has also said that as long as Lord Di remains 'undecided', it saves us from having Naraku begin his assault on the west. Even Naraku is smart enough to realize that if he engages before an alliance is formed; it will cost him to lose the North's support, even though he doesn't have it to begin with.

I've heard that Dagger was at the castle when Naraku showed up and I wonder if he's told Kazuko about it. I would guess not, because they want her to focus on her training more than anything else, from what I've heard.

Katina seems unfazed by this and has been steadily working to get her healing better, and has even begun weakening spells. I'm not fond of the idea of having her on the front lines, but I cannot deny that her weakening spells truly work, as she has been practicing them on me. It just gives me motivation to work harder at my training, so that I can make sure when we're on the front lines, I can protect her.

**~Claw~**

One of Kazuko's weapons is here.

Totosai has crafted one of the weapons Kazuko commissioned of him and given the results over the past few years, it's enough to keep Masaru at bay… for now. He delivered the sword just before the flowers began to bloom.

Seeing the sword that the weapons smith made, confirms why he is revered as the best there is, even if he is an old, senile slacker.

The sword was the same color violet as Kazuko's eyes, which is amazing since as far as I know Totosai has never seen Kazuko. It had a beautiful winged, silver dog engraved on both sides of the hilt that well reflected Kazuko in her true form. It had black sheath, made from material that we had never seen before, with an engraving that read 'A blade forged in the elements for one destined to master them'.

The meaning of the engraving was confusing since Kazuko hadn't ordered any engraving, but Totosai was known for these kinds of things and we trusted that he knew what he was doing.

We are thankful that the sword was finished first, instead of the staff. Kazuko had requested that the sword be brought to her as soon as it was finished because she wanted to use it in her training. Shadow, Moon and I took it to the northern castle because we did not know where to find her.

Lord Di says he also does not know where she is, but Dagger comes by every few moons. The northern lord has promised us that he will give the sword to Dagger the next time he comes around.

The orphans are fitting in well. I think we all miss having non-guardians around. The older ones are training in our fighting techniques, and we've been able to supply them with the weapons we salvaged. They have told us they already know about the plan to go to war with the east, and they have expressed their desire to fight on our side. I'm not sure Masaru fully trust them yet, but he hasn't hindered their training.

The ones too young to fight follow Sage and the other mages around to learn history of the clan, the western lands and Japan in general in the mornings. Just like the younger ones used to do before the massacre.

The afternoons are livelier now. The older ones are done with their training by then and the younger ones are done with their lessons. So now they walk through the village, or run as with the younger ones, removing the desolate feeling the village has had.

After nearly three decades, it almost feels like home again.

**~Naraku~**

That fox kit was there.

I stayed true to the story I gave Toro and stopped by the northern castle to speak with Lord Di. I know without a doubt that I saw that fox kit that had been traveling with Inuyasha and his group. Kana had said she saw him among other foxes, and now it made sense that he was there in the north, land of the foxes.

The kit saw me as well and scurried off before I could get to him. I considered taking him so that I could get information about the Shogakko's location, but Lord Di showed up and said he was the uncle of the kit. I had mentally cursed; there was no way I could kidnap the relative of a lord without it being noticed.

Instead I've simply planted a hive of my Saimyoushou in the northern palace before I left. So far they haven't fed me any information, but it's only a matter of time before they do. In the meantime I will sit and wait while my body adjust and reforms itself to make me more powerful.

I can already tell that this newest batch of demons will push my aura past that of a mere half demon, and to the strength of a full demon. The only ones who could still beat me in a fair fight would be a TaiYoukai, but fair was never my goal.

Toro thinks that my goal is to become a lord of one of the four lands, but he is so naïve. I intend to over throw all four lands and descend Japan into chaos. From there the strongest will survive and the weaklings will be killed. Once that has happened I will rise and assert my dominance and take my rightful place as lord over all of Japan, and then I shall lead my new army to take over the mainland as well.

This pathetic little dispute between Toro and the Shogakko is simply the first step of my master plan. I have to ensure that all demons who could pose a threat to my rule kill each other off before any other part of my plan can work.

The plan is flawless. The south has already agreed to enter the war, thus I can have one of my incarnations assassinate lord Ryku. Once the war starts, and the north sees the west falling, they will either join with us or join with Sesshomaru. Either way Lord Di will suffer an 'unfortunate' and lethal battle wound. Sesshomaru with either kill Toro, or Toro will kill Sesshomaru and I will kill whoever lives while they are weakened.

The Shogakko I will take for myself. I had a special collar created, that over powers the mind even better than the jewel shard can and cannot be purified without purifying the wearer. I had originally had it made to for Inuyasha. I figured if I cannot kill the hanyou, I can make him work for me; but now with the surfacing of the Shogakko, I can't think of a better use.

With the four lords dead, and a Shogakko as my pet, I cannot be stopped.

Japan will crumble beneath me.

**~Inuyasha~**

Kikyo is no longer here.

It's been three years since she released her anger and bitterness and was able to find peace. I know I should be over her by now, but I haven't been able to. Kikyo was and is the first woman I ever loved, besides my mother.

Sango and Miroku are married now, and I'm surprised that lecher has been able to stay faithful. But somehow he has managed. Miroku and Sango now live in the rebuild slayer's village. From what I've heard the village has grown, and there are about two dozen or so slayers living there now. A few were original members who escaped Naraku's trick, because they had been away. Some are just wanders who had demon slaying experience.

The last time they stopped by they told us Sango was pregnant, even though I had been able to smell it the previous time, I let them find out on their own. Kagome is in full swoon mode as he and Sango had gone off to talk about it. I had noticed Miroku's fear scent and confronted him about it.

"_Don't tell me you're afraid of becoming a father." I snorted at the monk._

_He gave a solemn shake of his head and turned to me before dropping his eyes down to his cursed hand._

"_They're going to have this." He said quietly. "Naraku still lives and this curse will be passed on. This is not something I wanted to have passed down."_

"_What? You used to ask every woman you saw if they could have your child." I said, though I could see the sincerity in his expression._

"_I was foolish then. Besides those were women that I didn't care about. Now it's Sango…" He trailed off._

"_What is it?" I questioned knowing he was leaving something out._

"_I never knew my mother." Miroku started with a sigh. "When I was born, my wind tunnel…"_

"_Damn." I cursed silently understanding where he was going with this._

"_I don't want to lose Sango." He finished._

"_There has to be a way to make sure Sango comes out of it just fine, and I'll help you." I said._

"_Just don't tell Sango or Kagome. Sango is so excited to be having a child; I don't want to ruin it for her." He added._

"_Yea I wouldn't want to tell her anyway." I said with a shake of my head._

The two of them come by every other moon now. Mostly because Miroku and I are trying to find a way to make sure Sango gives birth safely. Kaede says she'll probably give birth sometime around the spring next year.

Rin is starting to push that she wants to go live in the slayers village with them and learn to be a demon slayer. Thankfully we've all agreed that it would be better if she were to remain with Kaede. That girl is headed down a bad path; she's shot past fear straight to hatred for demons. I'm not really sure if she can be turned around; it would be a bad idea to give her such experience at slaying.

Something was off with Sesshomaru when he came to visit a few years back. Normally I get a chill from his aura. Yet this time his aura felt so much weaker than normal that I knew I could take him down in a fair fight. I wonder if that's what happens to a bonded male who doesn't have their mate around for so long. It kind of reminds me of the way I feel when Kagome stays in her time for so long.

Kagome is waiting, and I know it, but I just can't be with her yet. I'm not even sure if I deserve to be with her. I've heard her and Sango talking about the Hojo guy from her time and sometimes I think it would be better if she just stayed in her time with him. She wouldn't have to worry about constant life-threatening attacks and people from her time live longer.

I think the best thing will be to just let her go once Naraku is taken care of.

**~Kazuko~**

I pretty sure my sanity is no longer here.

Or at least it has thinned considerably. Koru had been sparing me for the past few months straight.

"_What is that Dagger?" I had questioned when I woke up to see the guardian scratching at something tied around his neck._

'_I don't know that's what I was trying to figure out.' He growled. 'Lord Di said Moon, Claw and Shadow brought it to the northern castle, and asked that it be delivered to you.'_

"_So you're trying to get into what is meant for me?" I questioned as I came over and untied the bundle._

'_Uh well I wanted to make sure it wasn't a distraction!' He barked suddenly and dipped his head._

"_It's all good, I was just teasing you." I responded as I removed the cloth to reveal the sheathed sword. "So Totosai has finished."_

'_Well he's only finished the sword; they say he is still working on the staff.' Dagger mumbled._

_The sword was beautiful as I looked over the handle and the sheath and its' engraving. I placed my hand on the handle and noticed Koru watching from a distance._

"_Just on time as always, Totosai." He said quietly then looked towards Dagger. "I would step away if I were you." Dagger gave him a confused look, but still moved back to stand next to Koru._

"_Why do you two need to be so far away?" I questioned._

"_I believe you were about to inspect the blade of your sword." Koru said, completely ignoring the question._

"_Stupid wolf never answering my questions…" I mumbled and pulled the sword from its sheath. _

_The blade was stunning, but I only got to enjoy it shortly. I focused on the light that was forming around the blade. The light was a mixture of red, blue, white, yellow and brown, but I could still see each individual color. I noticed a change in the wind and a trembling of the ground as the light began to spin around the blade, picking up speed as it did._

'What the hell'_ I thought before the light burst and sent me flying, my grip on the sword releasing. I was slammed into the side of the clearing just beside the waterfall and pond._

"_What the hell was that?" I growled as I stood, feeling a dull buzzing running through my body. I looked to see my sword lying on the ground where I had been, only now it was inside of a sizable crater._

"_You haven't mastered your abilities yet thus the sword is rejecting you." Koru guessed as he went over to pick up the sword, but brought his hand back as the same light engulfed his hand. "And it would seem it is made only for you." He added, giving his hand a shake. _

"_So I have a sword I can't use? Great." I sighed as I walked back over._

"_You will in time." He said with a shrug. "Totosai has always made Shogakko weapons that he feels are meant for them. The weapons of each are contained within the boxes at the foot of each statue."_

_I looked over and nodded. "Some of them don't have boxes." I pointed out._

"_Yes and that is for one of two reasons. You have the statues of the Shogakkos who are still living such as you, the Ryu-Neko Shogakko, and me, who are still using their weapons. Then there are those who kept the weapons and passed them down through the generations. The blades your pack mate Ryo carries are the Claw and Fang Blades that originally belonged to the first Ryu-Inu Shogakko, Huro. I would imagine he is having a difficult time mastering them. Other than Huro, there is only one other who I know of to have fully mastered the blades, and that was Ryo's father."_

"_So Ryo is a descendant of the first Ryu-Inu Shogakko?" I asked in quiet awe._

"_As are you, Ryo's father and yours were brothers." Koru reminded me. "But enough with talking, you have much to learn. Now it's time to learn how to engage your mastered elements, and how to become one with them."_

"_What do you mean become one with them? I just mastered them, isn't that the same thing?" I questioned._

"_No. To put it simply, you learned to control them, now it's time to learn how to use them." He said as he got into a fighting stance. His five dragon tattoos began to glow and I stepped back. Each tattoo exploded with their respective elements. His torso became engulfed in fire, his right arm ice, his left arm lightening, his right leg dirt and his left leg had a small tornado wrapped around it. "This is level two." He said as his eyes turned a dark red, bordering on black._

_The aura now radiating off of him was so strong that I had to brace myself from the initial blast. _

Even now his aura was overwhelming as I battled him.

Thankfully my natural affinity for lightening allowed me to at least summon the lighting, which surrounded my torso like an extra layer of armor. Yet it drained so much energy to maintain, coupled with the fact that I was engaged in hand to hand combat, that I had to drop it after a few minutes and it took a day or so to summon the energy to do again.

Koru clarified that the only one that I should maintain is my lighting, since it's was around my torso and would provide protection for my vital organs. The others I would learn to activate when engaging that particular limb, and how to deactivate when I wasn't using it.

He also explained that the usual training method was to allow the Shogakko to meditate for years to become one with their element, then to training them in fighting using what they meditated on. But we didn't have that much time, so he said I would just have to go through a crash course and learn to focus while I fight. It was something that was proving to be much more difficult than I had expected, and I had already thought it would be hard enough.

I could get sparks of power every so often when I focused hard enough. But with time and attention it took to get the sparks, I left myself vulnerable and unaware, something Koru took great advantage of.

We continued this battle well into the fall, and as far as I could tell we weren't making any progress. Sure I could spark the elements, but they died down after one hit and it took weeks before I could build up enough energy to spark it again. Plus not once did I manage to get on offense, but instead I was defending from his attacks the entire time.

Towards the end of fall I felt a massive spike energy level and strength one day. The feeling felt familiar but I couldn't quite place it. Thanks to the spark I was able to sustain my elements and begin some offensive strikes.

"_Damn, I forgot about that." Koru had growled at some point, but when I had questioned him about it he simply shook his head and continued his attacks._

Then the following day, as the last full moon of fall rose, it hit me like a dragon had opened its maw and unleashed a fiery turret at me. The force of it was so powerful that my legs gave out on me and I sunk to the ground with heavy breathing that was not from my training. My strength quickly dwindled down to almost non-existent.

'_My heat!'_ I growled in my head. _'I can't believe I forgot about it after how bad it was last time!'_

I felt at least a hundred times hotter than I had last time, so much so that I felt like running to the pond and just staying there forever. Yet I knew it wouldn't relieve the heat stemming from within, only one thing, could do that. Besides as I tried to stand my legs would not cooperate and I slid back down again.

"You have to get Sesshomaru!" I growled, feeling my claws and fangs lengthen along with my eyes bleeding red.

"There is no time." Koru stated glancing at me, although even his gaze looked unnerved. "You must continue your training."

"I can't train when I can hardly stand!" I snapped. "And why does it hurt so badly this time?"

"You've meditated through four heats now. Doing so has stored those desires and bodily responses; it didn't get rid of them. Now that you're out of meditation you're feeling the effects of this heat, plus the four you've stored up." Koru stated still seeming weary of me.

"What's wrong with you?" I snarled.

"While I am aware that you are mated to a Lord Sesshomaru, my instincts are still those of a male." He explained.

I couldn't believe the words that came from my mouth. It was as if I was watching someone else control my mouth.

"You're my trainer. You're supposed to make sure that I am able to train, correct?" I growled finding the strength to stand and walk over to the Ryu-Okami Shogakko.

"Well, yes, that's one way of putting it." He said holding his breath at my closeness. I gave a light growl and aimed a swipe of my claws across his shoulder, which caused him to release his breath and give a sharp growl, when he was forced to inhale the heat scent he had been trying to ignore.

"I'm not going to be able to train while my heat is interfering, and we both know what it will take to get it to go away." I heard my voice growl seductively.

"I would never disgrace you in such a way, Lady Kazuko. You are Lord Sesshomaru's mate and lady of the western lands." Koru said, sounding as if he were trying to settle his own mind.

"Sesshomaru is not here, and we don't have to tell him." I snarled.

"Dagger is…" Koru said quickly, only to look around for the missing guardian.

"Dagger is at the northern castle for the week." I finished for him.

Koru seemed at a loss for words as his eyes flashed from their usual green to red.


	31. Year Six: Choices

**Howdy!  
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**Long time no see, eh?  
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**Sorry about that.  
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**Some of it is due to a vacation I took out of the country to just get away from things. My travel agent ensured me that there would be internet service available so I emailed myself the draft, and there wasn't. Oh well so I had two weeks where I couldn't work on the story.  
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**Then I came back and hit a major writer's block. Took me a long time to break the block, but rereading y'alls awesome reviews was a big help. I also came to understand that when I try and force myself on a schedule it usually doesn't work out. So to be fair to y'all and myself no more schedule.  
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**Also again thanks for the great reviews and sticking by me through my sporadic postings.  
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**Hope you enjoy and keep up the great reviews.  
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**So without anything further, I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.  
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**Enjoy. ^^  
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><p><strong>~Year Six~<br>~Choices~**

**~Izu~**

Lord Sesshomaru has chosen to meet with the southern lord, Ryku.

It came as no surprise for myself, though the rest of the western and southern lands seem to be in a state of shock from this decision. They do not understand the full reasoning for Lord Sesshomaru's visit. They do not know he has little interest in trying to get Lord Ryku to reconsider his alliance with the east. It is merely a cover.

His true intentions were to find a way to get into the north. Yet he cannot simply enter the north. He plans to make it appear as alliance negotiations. He is traveling to the south first so that no one questions his true intentions.

He spent the spring in the south going through 'talks' with the southern lord that went surprisingly well. The south has retracted its' public alliance with the east and has declared itself an independent nation that has no need to receive or give aid to another nation. They boisterously announced that they can support themselves. Despite this public display, I doubt that the south has truly severed all ties with the east for long.

Word of the newest residence of the Ryu-Inu village has finally reached us. I had assumed Lord Sesshomaru would have been a bit peeved at having so many from another land having taken refuge in his land without his knowledge. Yet the western lord took the information with a small 'Hn', his way of saying he'd allow them to stay. The guardian leader, Masaru, says that he sees no immediate threat from the orphans but that he is still keeping a close eye on them.

The other guardian, Sage, and a few of his helpers have been making more and more frequent trips to the castle. They have been sorting through the scrolls with such an intensity it makes me wonder what it is that they are looking for. They never speak of what they are searching for, but I can guess that they are making progress because the occasional exclamation of jubilation can be heard from the room they use.

During the summer we received quite the venom laced letter from the northern lands. It was not from Lord Di, but instead his mate Lady Lily. Her anger was more so pointed towards Kazuko and her pack, than the western lands in general. But with Kazuko and the others being in the eastern lands, it puzzles me why Lady Lily chose to send the letter to us, rather than confront the Ryu-Inus herself. I know that Kazuko's location is a mystery, but from what I gather, Ryo and Katina are in the Ryu-Okami village.

I only read the first line which told me, in a very angry fashion, who the letter was too. Once I saw that the recipient was to be Kazuko and her pack, I placed it aside, to be given to them upon their return.

**~Shippo~**

I've chosen to stay with the Ryu-Inu.

It's not exactly a new choice, but I'm finally voicing it to my aunt and uncle. Lord Di took it well enough, but he also said that he'd always had a feeling I would choose such. The northern lord has told me that all he wishes is that I will visit often and try and learn as much about fox culture while I'm here. I've told him that I wouldn't have it any other way, they're my family by blood, and I cannot forget that.

Lady Lily on the other hand was not so happy to hear this. I could still remember the conversation that I had accidently over heard the night I told them.

_I was heading towards the training grounds for some night training with the northern army recruits, as I passed my uncle's study I could hear Lady Lily's voice. It was raised to such a level that she almost seemed to be shrieking._

"_Surely you're not going to just let him leave?!" She said in a shrill voice._

"_I see no reason to make him stay. He can make his own choices." Lord Di said, his voice maintaining a level calm._

"_He's just a kit! He's too young for choices like this." The northern lady responded._

"_He may be young, but he is not a kit. Given the life he's had so far, he has grown faster than most." Her mate responded._

"_Still, he's the only male of our bloodline; it makes him the true heir for now. You can't let him go running off with mutts into a mutt infested land." Lady Lily growled._

"_Are you insulting the lord of the western lands?" The fox king questioned and I could imagine his eyes narrowing as he awaited the response._

"_Uh…well no of course not!" She hastily replied. "I'm talking about the bitch he mated with and their pathetic little pack." She sharply added._

"_Insulting the mate of a lord, and the leader of one of the Ryu clans, that's taking it too far Lily." Lord Di said the warning clear in his voice._

"_They're going to war with the east, and that half demon menace! Shippo will not be safe with them…" She was cut off._

"_The decision is Shippo's and we will stand by him no matter what. Remember it was them that have been there for him since his father's death, not us." He said._

_I quickly took off as I heard the door beginning to open._

Lady Lily has been distant since then, and I can only hope that eventually she will come to see why I made the choice I did.

**~Katina~**

The Ryu-Okamis have chosen to help us should the war between the west and the east become realized as we all know it will.

The leader, Kiba, told us that he intends to speak with Lord Di before the next council meeting about it. He believes that if for some reason we fail, that Naraku and Toro will not be satisfied once they get the taste of victory. Kiba says it's better that we stand up against them together than to fall separately. I'm not entirely sure if his words were a complement or a hidden insult, but I am happy that they are choosing to fight beside us.

Ryo is getting further in his training with every passing day. He has managed to get his swords to come to life with power and even manage to keep them that way throughout a heavy sparring session. He still becomes very weary once he has finished, but progress is still being made. His goal is still to match or surpass his father's powers and get the blades to come to life at his mere touch, and I believe he will be able to do it eventually.

Masaru has reported that the orphans are making good progress, and I think he is even beginning to enjoy having the orphans around. I wish I could meet them now, but I look forward to seeing them when we return to the village. It will be like a 'welcome back' gift for all of us. Apparently he also had sent over something for Kazuko, no one knows what it is exactly because it had been wrapped, but the word around the land is that it was a weapon of some sort.

Our reports and letters from the Ryu-Tori have shrunken to nothing, and I wonder what is going on in the east and I can tell Ryo feels the same. It was comforting to have an inside report from the east, so that we could know if anything big was coming up that we needed to know about. But since Naraku's surprise visit, we haven't heard anything from them. Now we are blind to the east and it makes us uneasy.

We heard about Sesshomaru's trip to the south and how well that worked out. As usual rumors have again popped up, since he made the trip on his own without Kazuko. It is common for mates of a lord to travel with them to other lands, but it is not required. We'll just have to wade through these rumors like the last, though these have an added element of annoyance. It would appear that some have taken these rumors too seriously and apparently courtship request are being sent for Lord Sesshomaru. I doubt he is taking any of them seriously, but it irks me to think that there are those out there that would think they make a better match to the western lord than Kazuko.

Supposedly Sesshomaru plans on coming to visit with Lord Di, I wonder if Kazuko knows about that. From what I heard they haven't been telling her about anything dealing with Sesshomaru. So I suppose they would keep this information from her as well, considering it would be a huge distraction.

**~Masaru~**

I have chosen to accept the orphans as possible members of the of the Ryu-Inu clan. I cannot accept them as full members, only Kazuko can do that, but I have expressed my feelings that I accept the orphans.

The village is thriving and the young ones are becoming more and more immersed in our customs and history. Though I heavily miss the Ryu-Inu clan of old, I cannot deny that this new clan brings me hope and a sense of joy as I watch the village thrive.

Fuho, Sira, Ayki, Hio and Po have discovered their magical abilities, and have chosen to go the path of a mage and Sage is more than happy to train them. They are coming along well in their studies, though often times I will be alarmed at loud noises and smoke that come from where they are practicing potions and spells at. So far we've gotten away with a few minor injuries, like burnt patches of fur or temporary blindness, nothing too serious; though Sage did go hairless for a few months.

Wei, Pyra, Iko, Tryu, Lia, Riyo, and Xio are all continuing with battle training and show great promise. They have skills that can only come from living at outcast for so long. All have already learned the value of teamwork and dependence on their comrades having lived with each other in the wilderness for so long. Only Iko, the oldest, has any true formal training, but even that isn't very extensive. They are all working hard and many nights I have awaken to see them sparing and training on the training grounds. Each has found their weapons of choice from the vast collection of weapons we were able to recover, most of which had been held in the western armory.

Wei and Lia have chosen twin daggers that go well with their fire element. Pyra's choice of twin battle fans makes sense considering her wind element. Iko has chosen a pair of gloves with metal claws that spark with his lightning element. Tryu's water element flows well with his staff. Riyo now has twin swords to control his wind element, and his brother Xio has chosen twin maces to control his earth element.

The youngest two, Meipo and Nyko, are too young to do any training so they have been doing their studies over the history of the clan and helping tend to the village and the crops we have started growing in the fields we have re-sown. Neither has discovered their elements yet, and that has always been the marking point of when a pup is to begin training. Both look to have the potential to become warriors, since neither has shown any magical prowess that mages have, and they spend any spare time they have watching the battle training sessions. But only time will tell which paths they will choose.

**~Tai~**

The south has chosen to retract its alliance with the east.

Toro is furious.

Naraku seems unconcerned.

That damn half-demon almost seems happy that the south has retracted, but I know the spider's game. I didn't become general of the entire eastern army for my looks.

Naraku, as well as Toro, knows that now Naraku holds a greater upper hand. With the south allied to us, if things went sourly, Toro could depend on the aid of the south to drive out Naraku and his forces. But now, with the south no longer an ally Naraku's forces outnumber ours over ten to one. While the boost in numbers is great for taking down Sesshomaru and the western lands, it will prove to be a major problem if the half-demon grows too arrogant.

There is a bit of good news.

An old prophecy has resurfaced that has Naraku concerned, though he refuses to admit it. I can sense his fear as he thinks about it. But given the prophecy, he has good reason to be worried.

_An old seer had entered the war room while Toro and Naraku had been discussing a plan of attack, now that the south has retracted. _

_I watched the seer walk in with a passing glance, knowing the old, blind demoness often wandered through the castle. She had never proven to be a problem and we had more important things to discuss. Yet her milky, unseeing eyes had locked onto Naraku as she walked forward so that she was standing directly in front of the spider._

"_Toro, if you would excuse your subject from the room." Naraku said in a slightly disgusted look to the seer._

"_Ai, leave this room immediately and do not return until…" Toro was cut off before he could finish his order._

"_So you're the half demon that has resurfaced the prophecy." She stated, still locked on Naraku._

"_Have you no control over your subjects, Toro." Naraku questioned with an annoyed tone._

"_Did you know that every seer is born with a prophecy? It is called a Life Prophecy. The fulfillment of this prophecy marks the end of that seer's life." Ai said._

"_Finally see your prophecy come true? I guess you're here to tell us your time is coming soon and that we should find another seer." Naraku sneered._

"_My time has not come yet, but it is coming soon." The seer said, cracking an ominous smile. "But I believe you would be interested in knowing my Life Prophecy." She said closing her eyes only to have them open, shining a lethal red. "The spider will weave many in its web and cause great division. It will seek to control all, but it shall fail. Its' demise will come on the wings of a dragon, between the fangs of a beast and in the paws of one who controls the storm." The seer's eyes faded back to their normal white as she left the room._

**~Kilala~**

Sango chose to go through with her pregnancy.

Once she was within a month of her birthing, Miroku finally decided to tell her of the risks, since he and Inuyasha hadn't been able to find any help for the situation and had no choice but to tell her. It had come as a huge shock for Sango, Kagome and I, bringing tears to the eyes of the two women. Miroku offered her the choice of terminating the pregnancy and not trying for a child until Naraku is dead, but Sango refused.

Miroku nearly died when he heard her decision to still birth the child, he passed out on the spot before she had finished explaining her choice. Inuyasha and Kagome had to help get him into Kaede's hut until he came to the following day.

Sango expressed that she was fearful, but at the same time she didn't want to lose the life of her child, her mothering instincts having already kicked in. Miroku only tried to talk her out of it once more, but it was clear that Sango was not going change her mind.

Kaede and Kagome came up with an idea to try and deliver the infant safely. They were able to have Miroku make another pair of prayer beads. They created a barrier around the child while it was still in Sango and kept it in place while they delivered the child and figured out which hand it had the wind tunnel on. Once the child was fully out, they dropped the barrier and successfully placed the beads around the child's cursed hand, the left hand.

It had been a grueling day, as Inuyasha and I had the responsibility of keeping Miroku occupied and away from the birthing room. Yet it was all worth it once Kagome came and got us, with the good news that both mother and child had made it through safely.

Miroku was overjoyed to see his new infant daughter. She had Miroku and Sango's shared black hair and brown eyes. They named her Megumi, and call her their little blessing. Sango stayed with Kaede until she had recovered enough to make the trip back to the slayers village. Sometime during the birth, Rin had disappeared from the village. No one knew where she was, and a lot of the villagers feared what would happen when news of this reached the western castle, and more specifically Sesshomaru.

Luckily, we came across the young girl as we headed for the slayer's village. Rin was on a dirt path heading in that direction. It would appear that she is too determined to become a slayer, and we could not persuade her otherwise. She said if we took her back to the village, she would just keep leaving to come to the slayer's village. Sango and Miroku finally gave in and allowed her to come with us, figuring it would be safer than having her traveling through the wilderness by herself.

**~Kazuko~**

I chose to sleep with Koru.

I had already lost the battle to my instincts, and the change in Koru's eyes and aura told me the same for him.

Thankfully Dagger showed up before it could escalade to that point. The guardian had to be sent by the kamis because he showed up just in time.

"_I'm not going to be able to train while my heat is interfering, and we both know what it will take to get it to go away." I heard my voice growl seductively._

"_I would never disgrace you in such a way, Lady Kazuko. You are Lord Sesshomaru's mate and lady of the western lands." Koru said, sounding as if he were trying to settle his own mind._

"_Sesshomaru is not here, and we don't have to tell him." I snarled._

"_Dagger is…" Koru said quickly, only to look around for the missing guardian._

"_Dagger is at the northern castle for the week." I finished for him._

_Koru seemed at a loss for words as his eyes flashed from their usual green to red._

"_This…is…not right." Koru's voice strained as he battled with his inner demon that seemed to have no objections to what I offered._

"_It's for the greater good." I wish I could have said I was disgusted with myself for the sultry tone that I used, but at the moment I didn't care. _

'_Koru! Kazuko!'_ _Dagger's howl split through the tension in the air and immediately diffused the situation. I crouched and slashed out my claws, and Koru jumped back, almost completely across the clearing before I looked up to Dagger._

"_Hey I thought you wouldn't be back for days." I said, straightening myself. With a sidelong glance I could see that Koru's eyes had returned to normal, though his aura still had a slight edge to it. _

'_That was the plan, but something important has come up. Lord Di wanted me to come and inform the two of you right away.' The guardian said as he landed._ _'Naraku was at the northern castle.' Dagger said getting a low growl from both Koru and I._

"_Was Toro with him?" Koru asked._

'_No it was just Naraku.'_ _Dagger said._

"_What did that coward want?" I huffed._

'_He apparently tried to lure Lord Di into an alliance with the east and south.' Dagger answered. 'Lord Di refused of course, but he wanted to let you two know. He doesn't think Naraku picked up any hints of your presence in these lands, but he wanted to make sure that you knew just in case.'_ _Dagger answered. 'I'm going to head back to the castle now, to finishing helping…'_

"_NO!" Koru and I had shouted at the same time, earning a surprised and confused look from Dagger._

"_We would like you to help. I believe facing two opponents will push Kazuko to be able to get through this part of the training faster." Koru said, and I was thankful because I hadn't had an excuse for my outburst. _

'_Oh, well I'd be honored to help Lady Kazuko with her training.'_ _Dagger said with a dip of his head._

Training from there had started off a bit awkwardly, with Dagger sensing out unease. But as our mindsets returned to what we had ahead of us, we were able to fall back into the usual routine of keeping the sparing up. The rest of the year passed without any other major incidents.

I've been getting better at calling forth my elements and Koru thinks I'm almost there.

"Four elements, not bad." Koru said as he charged me, and I dove out of the way and rolled to soften the impact. I had managed to get my lightning, earth, wind and water elements to become one with me and activate at my will. The only thing left was fire and it was being a bitch to work with.

Dagger was already swiping at me with his claws and I had to jump to avoid any serious damage. He managed to scratch my leg, but with the small tornado wrapping around my leg only four small scratches appeared.

"Any hints how to get fire on the same page with the rest of the program?" I asked, and mentally sighed as they both gave me confused looks. _'I suppose that isn't a common saying quite yet, sometimes I forget this isn't the time I grew up in.' _I thought before rephrasing myself. "Do you have any tips to help me get fire down?"

"Oh," Koru said drawing the word out a bit. "It is all about balance. You've reached a balance with the rest of the elements, now you just have to do the same with fire."

"Really helpful." I mumbled as I jumped towards Koru.

The Ryu-Okami dodged and I could see Dagger coming out of the corner of my eye. I sent a quick blast of ice towards the front paws of the guardian, causing him to stumble and trip. I refocused on Koru and kicked, aiming for his chest. This time he jumped back and I gave a slight smirk, as I kept my foot out and allowed a pillar of packed earth to shoot from my leg and into Koru's chest, sending him backwards.

"It would seem I am losing a bit of my edge." Koru said as he pulled himself up and stood facing me.

"More like I'm getting better." I replied with a smirk.

"No… that can't be it." Koru responded with a smirk of his own.

"Wow, can't just let me have one compliment can you?" I rolled my eyes as I ran forward and aimed a punch at his head.

He moved over and grabbed my wrist before pulling it behind my back and trapped it there. I could feel the heat of his breath, contrasting to the cold air against the tip of my ear. "You're scent is alluring." He whispered.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I growled back quietly, so that Dagger could not hear. My eyes widened slightly as I thought about what time of year it was and took a deep inhale. I could just barely pick up traces of my impending heat. With a quick twist I was able to land a knee in his crotch and wretched my hand away, causing a little discomfort.

I jumped back so that I was standing next to Dagger. "You know there was one time when I truly felt the control over fire I now have over the other elements." I called.

Koru mumbled a few select words as he straightened up from where he had been hunched over. "When was that?" He asked his voice strained.

"I don't remember it all completely. But Inuyasha, Sesshomaru's younger brother, had really ticked me off. I felt myself gather control of the elements before I blacked out." I answered.

"Extremes can cause brief expanses of full power." He responded in a more level tone.

"What if we did something like that? I might help me get this fire element under control." I suggested.

"I don't think now is the time to let emotions run free." He said and I understood his hidden meaning.

"What about a life-threatening situation?" I continued when I got a nod. "Inuyasha's demon blood takes over when his life is in danger. What if we tried that? If it works, then we've managed to speed up the training. If it doesn't then we lose a week at the most for me to recover." I justified.

"I suppose…" Koru trailed off. "If this doesn't work, we tell no one about this. I'd prefer your mate not think I tried to kill you."

"You have my and Dagger word." I answered and Dagger gave a nod.

'How are we going to do this exactly?' Dagger barked cautiously.

"I have an idea." Koru said. "I'm going to entrap you in water. I'll monitor you and if it looks like this isn't going to work you signal and I will release you."

"Not bad." I said and nodded to Koru.

"Step away please, Dagger." Koru said and waited until the guardian moved to stand beside him. He raised his hand and I watched a bubble of water form around me.

I had to fight to keep myself from instinctually trying to free myself. Instead I closed my eyes and tried to find that hidden source of power that I hadn't yet been able to tap that was my fire element.

'You alright in there Kazuko?' I heard the muffled voice of Dagger through the water.

I gave a slight nod and went back to searching. Being a demon it took longer for my lungs to begin craving air, but I eventually felt the familiar feeling of suffocation coming over me. My head started to feel light and my muscles began relaxing without my say so.

**What on earth are you doing?** Said a familiar voice I hadn't heard in a while as my inner demon stirred to life.

'_Training.' _I replied briefly.

**By trying to kill us? **My demon growled.

'_Yep.' _I responded.

**Idiot. **I gave a small smirk as I heard this and felt my inner demon recede back to wherever it was that it resided.

The familiar chill of death began closing in and still nothing. I was about to signal to Koru, when I felt it, the same spark I had felt when Inuyasha had pissed me off. The water began to heat up and I looked down to my right arm where I could feel power radiating. The water around my arm was sizzling and evaporating from the heat, before the entire bubble collapsed. Once the water was gone my arm engulfed itself in a spiral of flame.

"I think I've gotten it." I said and Koru shook his head.

"There is only one way to know if you've really gotten it." Koru said motioning to the sword still lying in the crater.

I walked over to the crater as I felt the fire around my arm dissipate. Once it was completely gone I grabbed the sword and felt some excitement as it glowed but didn't reject me again. I gave a pulse of my aura and called forth the elements. I felt the elements spark up one at a time. Lightning first, air next, followed by earth, then water and finally…

I grinned as the fire swirled around my arm again. The glow of the sword finally receded so that only a light multi-colored shine pulsed around it. I turned around to show Koru and Dagger and smirked as the Ryu-Okami spoke.

"Yea you've got it."


	32. Year Seven: News From the Ryu-Tori

**Well howdy there faithful readers!  
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**Not as many reviews as I had hoped for, but thanks for the ones that I got. They make me smile :D Keep them coming to help keep me motivated and on track. Right now I'm working on two other stories and sometimes I get caught up in writing those, but then a review comes and it gets me writing on this story again.  
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**Hmm so not much else to say, so I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.  
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**Enjoy! ^^  
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><p><strong>~Year Seven~<strong>

**~News from the Ryu-Tori~**

**~Rin~**

The slayers do not take me seriously.

They treat me as a child, even though I am sixteen and a woman by all rights. And even those who are willing to treat me as a woman, are not willing to accept my desire to be a slayer. I know Miroku and Sango have something to do with that, as they are the head family of the village. They think that I am going through some sort of phase and that all they need do is to wait it out. Everyone knows of my past and previous relationship with demons, mainly Lord Sesshomaru. But they don't know, or understand, what has led me to pursue becoming a slayer.

For now all they allow me to do is chores around the village and helping tend to the fields. I am not allowed to join the others my age who are in the midst of their training. They allow their children to begin training at ten, and I envy those born here who are allowed to do so. It would appear that I will have to just stick it out until they realize that I'm not going back to the village protected by a half-demon.

After the first month I had almost given in and left the slayer's village in search of somewhere else to live, but that's when I met Zaru. He has been the only person who has noticed how serious I am. His father and brother were killed on his brother's first mission; they were to kill a raccoon demon that had been plaguing a nearby village. His mother was so stricken with grief that she ran into the forest and hasn't been seen from since, most believe her to be dead since it has been over ten years. That was when he was six; now he is nineteen and kind of attractive.

Initially he had eyed me suspiciously when I told him of my past.

"_A demon saved your life?" He asked the skepticism clear in his tone._

"_A pack of wolf demons had killed me when I was young. The next thing I knew I was alive again with two demons standing around me. The little one, Jaken, said that Lord Sesshomaru had resurrected me with his sword, Tenseiga." I said with a shrug._

"_How do you know if that's true? Demons lie all the time. How do you know that someone else didn't bring you back, or even if you ever really died at all?" Zaru retorted and I didn't have an answer for him before he continued. "And even if this demon _did_ revive you, who has ever heard of a demon that helped a human without wanting something in return?"_

He had made some good points and asked questions that I still have not been able to answer. How do I know if what Lord Sesshomaru said is the truth? I remember that he got his arm back after his mother sent me to the underworld and he had to come get me. Is that why he saved me, to get his arm back?

**~Shippo~**

Rin has left Kaede's village.

When the news arrived I almost sprinted out of my castle and sped towards the village. I had to restrain myself because I knew that the reason I was here was greater than myself, and that there was a lot going on for me to chance messing up. I couldn't leave the northern lands until Kazuko's training was done, less I raise suspicion.

I had gotten the letter from Kagome, and she expressed her sorrow at the situation. I had asked if she knew where Rin had gone, but she says that she doesn't. I'm not exactly sure why, but I get the feeling that they know where Rin is, but for some reason think it better that I don't know.

Somewhere in the letter I know she told me about Sango and Miroku's baby girl, but I find it hard to focus on it, though somewhere inside I am happy for them. Apparently it was a hard birth, but Sango and the baby are okay.

It also made mention that Inuyasha has seemingly gotten over Kikyo and is pursuing a real relationship with Kagome. I'm guessing Kagome added that because with Sango and Miroku busy with their new baby, she didn't have anyone else to share the news with. I should probably be happy about that since I know how much Kagome has been waiting for this, but it only makes me slightly bitter. Why should they get to have each other, when the one I'm in love with is only slipping further and further away from my reach?

I've had no choice but to lay myself deeper into my training. It is the only thing that can keep me distracted. Sleep is no longer a luxury that I enjoy, if I had to guess I would say I get two to three nights a sleep a month. My uncle and the few friends that I have made are concerned and I can't blame them, though I refuse to talk to any of them about it.

The only positive that has come out of this would be that I've really gotten better at my training. I can now sustain three copies of myself that can actually physically attack an enemy. My dagger wielding is almost lethal and that's just the basic attacks. My transformations are now physically indistinguishable, but I'm still having trouble with making the scent and auras match what I'm imitating.

Apparently Masaru got some news from the Ryu-Tori leader when the Ryu-Tori claimed they were going to visit the Ryu-Inu village to speak with Kazuko. They claimed that they wanted to meet the orphans. Since some of them had Ryu-Tori blood it only makes sense that they are related to those in the Ryu-Tori village some way or another. Even though their reasoning seems to make sense, I'm guessing there is a bigger reason why the Ryu-Tori would choose to visit the village instead of just sending a letter or requesting that those with Ryu-Tori blood enter the east and visit their village.

**~Katina~**

I've learned the spell for bringing life back.

It is a very tricky spell and I have not gotten to fully practice it for obvious reasons, but I am learning how to draw the symbols, which ingredients are needed, and how to go about doing the spell. Once it gets to the point of actually starting the spell that is where I stop. Ryo is unease about me even going that far, because he knows the risk associated with the spell. I continue to reassure him that I am and will be fine, yet he continues to worry.

Ryo is getting further with his swords and can now sustain them through an entire sparring session, only losing control of their power when he is too strained and tired. Lately he has been pushing himself harder and harder and I tried to convince him that he didn't need to do such, but he would not be dissuaded.

"_Look at you Ryo! You're nearly in ribbons from pushing yourself so hard." I said as I mended another one of his injuries. He had just finished going against ten Ryu-Okami warriors with Oak and then against five by himself._

"_Do you think Kazuko is going easy in her training? We cannot place all of this on her shoulders alone to bear; we must make sure that we can stand beside her." He huffed at me his eyes still blazing with fire from the training session he had just finished._

"_Yes, but how much use do you think you'll be if you push yourself so far that you cannot even move when the time comes?" I retorted, getting a gruff grunt from him in response. "Exactly, now you get some rest and I'm telling them that you're not training tomorrow." He started to offer some sounds of disagreement, and I poured a healing potion on a large cut that caused him to wince slightly. "It wasn't a question." I said._

Since then he had pulled back slightly in his training, but not by as much as I had hoped for. I know for sure that something is bothering him to cause such a strong drive from him, and I think it involved more than just the upcoming confrontation with the east. I can only hope that he will tell me eventually, so that I may help in any way possible.

Until then I will continue to heal Ryo's wounds and slow him down when needed.

**~Sage~**

We believe we have retrieved all the information there is on our reviving clan.

After nearly seven years of searching all the scrolls I can recall having are back within the village. It took many trips to other lands and even a trip onto the mainland; how the scrolls got there I will never know. But the hardest part of the job is done and we have a little over three years to come up with the information that Lady Kazuko wants upon her return.

She wants specific information on ceremonies, though we're not sure which ones so we are just focusing on the major ones such as mating ceremonies, burial ceremonies, birthing ceremonies, coming of age ceremonies, and induction ceremonies. There are plenty of other ceremonies, but we are guessing that she means to deal with one of these.

Yet, surprisingly, this wasn't even the biggest news of the year. The leader and general of the Ryu-Tori clan, Throe and Tohr, showed up to our village with two of their guardians. They were initially met with suspicion, even though we knew they were on our side.

'_Masaru, Ryu-Tori approach from the east.' Claw called as Masaru had been showing the older children some more training moves to work on._

'_Practice what I've showed you until I return.' Masaru said to the students, stood up and followed Claw and I to the eastern part of the village. We intercepted the two outside of scent range of the village. 'Throe, Tohr.' Masaru gave a curt greeting. 'What brings you two so deep within western lands?'_

"_We have some news we wish to share with Lady Kazuko. Is she residing here or within the western castle?" Throe answered, a mild hint of annoyance lacing his voice._

'_She is not here at the moment. Whatever news you have, we will ensure that she gets it.' I offered in civil tone._

'_It is preferred that this news be delivered directly.' A Ryu-Tori guardian named, Crash, responded with a snort._

'_You can either leave the information with us or you can leave all together.' Masaru said sharply._

_The Ryu-Tori leader and general cast a glance between each other before nodding with some sort of unspoken agreement._

"_Very well we shall entrust this information with you, and we expect that Lady Kazuko will be notified of it as quickly as possible." Throe said as he handed over a scroll that Tohr had been holding._

Upon reading the information within the scroll we could understand their unease. This kind of information could prove to be very destructive if not dealt with properly.

**~Toro~**

The Ryu-Tori believe that I am unaware of their activities.

While I cannot say exactly what they have with the Ryu-Inu, I know that they are working together. Throe and Tohr came forth to my castle to request a visit to the western lands, more specifically the Ryu-Inu village. They state that they simply wish to welcome back the lost Ryu clan and to investigate rumors of children with Ryu-Tori blood now residing in the Ryu-Inu village.

I agreed but I told them that they are to act as spies for the east and report any information that they come across while there. It is doubtful that they will get too far before a patrol or group picks them up, but any information is better than no information.

Naraku also thinks that I am too simple to see within his deception. I will continue to let the spider think I am unaware, though I keep a check on all of his activities. His hordes of demons are growing by the day and easily outnumber both the western and southern armies combined. Most of the new additions emanate from the mainland.

It would appear that there is trouble on the mainland. A ruthless and deadly bear demon, named Zao, and his clan have taken over most of the mainland, killing all who stand in his way. Naraku has contacted this demon and promised him a foothold in Japan if he offers his forces. The bear demon is greedy and has easily agreed, sending only a small portion of his vast army. The ones he sent are scouts who are to report back if Japan is a worthy land to fight for and to map out the landscape for the upcoming war.

The rest of the horde, and Zao, will remain on the mainland until the war is ready to begin. The eastern land alone cannot sustain so many demons. Naraku thinks he is winning, but he'll be in for a rude awakening once the dust of this war has settled and he finds himself on the end of my blade.

**~Miroku~**

I am worried about Rin.

We all are worried, but it is her new 'friend' that has me especially worried for the girl. Even though she is clearly not a girl anymore, but instead a young woman now, I cannot forget the young girl that I first met her as.

She already harbors bitter illusions as to why she thinks she had been sent to Kaede's village, and Zaru is not helping. He is planting in her head with more doubts and hatred. I can see the change in her with every passing day, partly being her decreasing attitude towards Kilala.

Rin thinks we refrain from training her because we do not think she is serious about becoming a demon slayer, but that is not true, as I have tried to explain to her. Demon slayers are not humans who purely hate demons and want to destroy them all. They are people who hold respect for demons and in return demand the same from demons. They understand that there are bad demons, like there are evil humans, and it is their job to protect humans from the demons who wish them harm.

Most slayers in this village have a respectable outlook on demons and have no problem with accepting demons that have proven not to be mindless creatures, like Kilala.

But then there is Zaru, whose brother and father were killed by a demon and his mother who ran away as a result. He is tainting Rin's mind, because he has a twisted view. I've overheard them talking, and Sango and I are unsure what to do. We know if we try to separate the two it will only lead to more suspicion from Rin, as if we're trying to hide something from her.

"_When I'm fully trained I am going to start my own slayer's village, one that isn't as soft as this one." Zaru had been saying as he practiced his stances with a short sword._

"_What do you mean?" Rin has asked as she seemed awe struck watching him._

"_This isn't a true slayer's village." He said making a slashing motion. "What kind of slayer has a demon for a pet?"_

"_Kilala is a companion." Rin had said softly._

"_That's even worse, that means our leaders have befriended a demon. They are already friends with a half demon, other demons and demon lovers. We're demon _slayers _not demon lovers." Zaru finished as led the young woman over to where dinner was being served._

I worry for Rin. I don't know what will happen exactly, but I can only see her going down a dark path that will not end anywhere good.

**~Kazuko~**

'_Of course there is a level three.'_

'_How could I have not thought there was a level three?'_ These and other similar thoughts ran through my head as I glared at the Ryu-Okami Shogakko standing across from me. Oh, how I wanted to burn that stupid grin right off his face. After another 'nap' I had awoken to him explaining this third level of training.

"So explain this again?" I mumbled.

"You've mastered your elements, learned to become one with them, and how to use them. So as far as the elemental training is concerned you're almost done. There is just one more thing for that, but it is the very last thing you'll learn. Before that, you have to earn the title of Shogakko." Koru said casually.

"I thought I was born with the title. You know, the whole being able to control all five elements thing." I retorted.

"You were born with the ability to control all elements, true. But you have not earned the title of Shogakko. For now you're simply a very skilled multi-element user." The damn wolf was smirking again.

"Alright so how do I earn my title?" I huffed.

"You gain acceptance from the Ryu-Inu Shogakkos before you." Koru said in a tone that made it seem as if I should have known that.

"Well they're kind of, oh I don't know, dead." I said flatly with my arms crossed in front of my chest.

"So were you at one point." Koru pointed out as he walked over to the row that held the three Ryu-Inu statues.

"How did you know about that?" I asked, knowing I hadn't told anyone and I couldn't think of anyone who knew that would have told him.

"When a Shogakko dies, its' statue gets a mark on the forehead." Koru said pointing a finger at each of the statues." As I squinted I could see that there was a light marking on the head of all the Shogakko statues except for Koru's and mine. "A mark appeared on your statue, then it disappeared. I knew that it was fabled that Lord Sesshomaru's sword could bring someone back to life, but I've never seen it before."

"So does that mean we're the only two living Shogakkos that are alive?" I questioned with a bit of optimism. If we were then we wouldn't have to worry about the South or the East having that kind of power on their side."

"Not exactly." Koru said. "The Ryu-Nekos have a Shogakko but she is still young and is not yet ready to train. Once her statue appears, then it will be time for her to begin her training. There is a rumor that the Ryu-Tori gave birth to a Shogakko but are keeping the information hidden from Lord Toro, but I have yet to find anyone who can confirm this." Koru said and for the first time he actually looked a bit sad, but it disappeared back to his usual grin. "But enough questions, you have training to finish."

"How do I do this?" I asked coming to stand beside the Ryu-Okami as I stared up at the statues.

"You'll start with the Shogakko that came directly before you and make your way up to the first. When you are ready to begin activate all five of your elements and touch the statue." Koru said as he stepped away. "Dagger and I shall wait back at the northern castle. When you have gained their acceptance, you can meet us there for the final part of your training."

"You're leaving?" I questioned with a tilt of my head.

"Yes, this part of the training is unique for each Shogakko and not to be seen by any other. Best wishes, don't die up here, I'd hate to have to report that to Lord Sesshomaru." Koru said before he transformed. He and Dagger took off towards the Northern Castle and I was left alone in the training area.

"Well the sooner I finish this the sooner I can get out of here and back home." I said with a shrug.

**Who are you talking to? **My inner demon stirred slightly.

"No one." I mumbled.

**You're going insane. **She replied with a laugh.

"Yea, I know." I said with a smirk and walked down the row to the third statue that stood just before mine. It depicted a male that was rather large in both height and weight. He reminded me more of a bear due to his stature. "Here goes nothing." I summoned all five elements and placed my palms on the statue.

A heavy tremble vibrated through the ground and I lost my grip on the statue and fell back into a sitting position. Dust from the statue scattered blinding me for a quick moment before it clear and I looked up to see the statue gone.

'_Damn, I destroyed it.'_ I thought as I stood up and sighed. _"Now what?" _

"You are the new Shogakko? Kind of small aren't you?" I heard a gruff voice say and I turned trying to locate the voice. "You're not going to find me that way."

I felt another smaller tremor; it was so soft I wasn't entirely sure that I felt it. That was until I felt a large hand shoot up and grab my right ankle. Quickly, more out of reflex than planning, I sent a small charge from my palm down to the hand and jumped away when it released me.

"Who are you?" I growled turning around only to find the hand gone and the voice silent.

"Not particularly respectful are you young one?" The voice called again as I felt the ground under me tremble again and have a large figure rise from it and stretch to grab me. I jumped out of the way but wasn't fast enough as I felt a hand grab my left ankle and hold on so that I was hanging upside down.

I looked up to see the demon from the statue I thought I had destroyed. Now I could see individual characteristics that were previously hidden from the stone.

This demon stood at least eight feet tall and was huge though all of it appeared to be muscle instead of fat. He held my ankle directly at his chest level and I was still at least a foot or two off the ground. His eyes shone a steely grey that somehow managed to look fierce and amused at the same time. His hair was a rough tangle of black that was all pushed back and came just above his neck. His face held a paw print on his left cheek in red and four slashes down his right cheek in yellow. He was dressed in a pair of green hakama pants and a white wolf's pelt over his chest. Despite the heavy stone scent covering him, I could pick up a strong trace of Ryu-Inu scent from him.

"I find it hard to be respectful towards someone who attacks me upon first meeting." I said glaring up at the demon. "Who are you?"

The demon gave a chuckle before letting go of my ankle. Thankfully I landed on my feet and jumped back a few yards watching this new demon carefully.

"I'm Noro, the third Ryu-Inu Shogakko. I'm going to guess you're the fourth, so what's you name?" He asked taking a seat, cross-legged.

"My name is Kazuko." I said relaxing slightly.

"Interesting. So how has the clan been? It's not often I get to come back to this world so I'd like to know how the rest of the clan is doing? Is Karichi okay has she mated another, and what of my daughter Tica, she should be mated by now." He asked with a hint of sadness. The confusion on my face was clear as he looked up at me. "Oh I suppose I should explain. We Shogakko do not completely pass on when death arrives. Our spirits are brought here so that we can guide the future Shogakkos, so the only ones we have are other Shogakkos. It's nice to see someone new and know what's going on in our clans since we cannot ask our other deceased clan members."

I dropped my eyes to the ground beneath me as what he meant sunk in. He didn't know what happened to the clan, and as I looked to the other two statues I realized they didn't know either.

"They're gone." I said softly.

"What was that young one?" Noro questioned.

"The clan is gone, all murdered by the eastern army." I couldn't find it in me to meet his gaze that I could feel burning into me.

"What do you mean? Why would the east do such a thing?" He questioned coming up to place his hands on my shoulders.

"The east found out that I was born a Shogakko and demanded my parents give me to them, but they refused. In retaliation, the east sent its army in the middle of the night to wipe out the clan. The only survivors left are I and two others named Katina and Ryo." I looked up to see his grey eyes searching mine for any trace that this could be some sick joke. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault; the east is the one to blame for this." He said stepping back. His eyes clouded though not one tear showed as he stared through me. It took a few seconds before his eyes took on a look of confusion. "I've only been gone for over three decades. How can you be fully matured? New Shogakkos cannot be born until after the old one has pass, so you can't be older than thirty."

"It's a long story and I don't have time to waste. I have a little over three years left to complete my training here before we go to war with the east." I explained.

"Surely you jest." He scoffed then snorted when he realized that I was not joking. "Well I shall give you my blessing if you can best me in combat." He said walking over to where he had previously been merely a statue and picked up the heavy, double-bladed axe before it. The axe itself stood a few inches taller than me with blades as long as my arms and wide as my torso. He could probably chop down half a forest in one slice. I was definitely going to have to be careful around that monster. "And while we're at it, why don't you go ahead and share your story, I'm very interested in it."

"If you insist." I said with a shrug and reached for the sword that Totosai had made. Something about the way I picked up my sword must have tipped off Noro.

"You're not a natural sword fighter?" He questioned though it sounded more like a statement.

"I have more experience with a staff." I answered.

"Then use that, we have not the time to waste, correct?" He stated.

"Yea." I said putting my sword away and grabbing my staff.

"Now let's here that story." Noro said as he lifted his axe over his head and brought it down with speed that didn't match his size.


	33. Year Eight: About Time

**Howdy!  
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**I know you're all probably gasping thinking 'another chapter in less than two weeks!' The shock.  
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**Haha, I guess I deserve that. But all your wonderful reviews have sparked a drive in me. Plus I've just come up with an awesome twist that I'm going to add.  
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**For those of you wondering, once the training chapters are done the story will be 2/3 done, which means we will soon be entering the final third of the story. :D So keep the reviews coming. Also don't be saddened, thinking the story will be done and your favorite characters will be gone. As I have said previously, the sequel is already in the works and maybe even a trilogy if I decide to spin an unrelated fiction I'm writing to match up with this one, which as I write is looking more and more plausible.  
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**Well that's enough blabbing from me.  
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**So I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.  
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**Enjoy ^^  
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><p><strong>~Year Eight~<br>~ About Time~**

**~Jaken~**

I am to attend the wedding of the half demon Inuyasha.

How low have I sunken?

I am relegated to having to go to a mortal ceremony. Izu is the one that informed me that I would be attending. He says that I will be going on behalf of Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Kazuko as the representative of the western lands. The fox says that it will not do good for Lord Sesshomaru to show up alone, as enough questions have already been raised about Lady Kazuko's absence in other aspects. Izu adds that I should be happy to represent the western lands in Lord Sesshomaru's place, and I am pleased that I am receiving the recognition I deserve, because only Lord Sesshomaru's most trusted advisor would be given such a honorable task. Yet I still have my doubts that Lord Sesshomaru would have gone even if Lady Kazuko had been here.

Despite that I still find it mildly insulting that there even needs to be a western representative at the half-demon's wedding. I am well aware that he is the heir by birth, but no one could possibly find it fitting to have a half-demon ruling if something were to happen to Lord Sesshomaru and his mate. But news of this has brought up questions of if, when, and where Lord Sesshomaru and Kazuko will have a formal mating ceremony. The mating ritual is obviously done in private, but it is proper custom that the mating of a lord be publically announced in a ceremony of grandeur. The customs do not specify a timeline, but it is expected to happen within a reasonable amount of time after the mating.

Izu has responded to these inquiries because Lord Sesshomaru has begun his travels towards the northern lands. Izu states that the mating ceremony will be three moons after the next council meeting. He has begun the plans, preparations and invitations that need to be sent out. It is considered a great honor to be invited to the mating ceremony of a lord, and only the other three royal families and the top clans will receive these invites. Izu has a good idea of who to invite, but Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Kazuko will have the final say.

It will bring me much joy to attend that ceremony, but for now I will have to muddle through the ceremony of Inuyasha and his priestess.

**~Shippo~**

Kagome and Inuyasha are mating, or marrying as humans put it.

The news actually reached the northern castle before I got the letter from Kagome talking about the upcoming wedding. I had asked Lord Di how come the news of Inuyasha and Kagome's wedding was so important.

"_It would appear your friends are wedding." Lord Di had said as we sat in the private dining hall that was used when there was a limited number of people, usually just the royal family and one or two guest._

"_Hmm?" I asked from where I had been seated at the other end of the table. _

"_The half-demon Inuyasha is to wed the priestess Kagome." He responded as he read over the letter he had in his hand._

"_How did you know? Is that a letter from Kagome?" I asked._

"_No it's from the western palace; I think I recognize it as the fox Izu's handwriting." He responded passing the letter to myself._

"_Is Shippo going to the wedding?" Rose asked with a giggle._

"_Can we go papa?" Daisy asked with a wide smile._

"_Ah you two are such inquisitive kits." Lord Di said with a smile towards his twin daughters. "We will not be able to attend this ceremony, though we will send a letter offering our congratulations."_

"_I still don't understand why this news would be shared?" I said after the twins had settled down._

"_Prince Inuyasha is the second son of the great dog general and the current heir of the western lands." Lord Di said and my eyes widened._

"_He is?" I questioned._

"_Indeed. Since Sesshomaru and Kazuko have no young of their own, if something were to happen to the two of them, Prince Inuyasha is the next in line for succession." Lord Di then went on. "It's the same for you Shippo, or should I say prince Shippo. Behind Rose and Daisy, you're the next in line for the northern throne."_

"_I had no idea." I said leaning back._

Since then the question of would I go to the wedding had been looming. Lord Di says I could go as a representative for the northern lands, but I've declined. If I were to go I want it to be as a friend, not just as a representative that has an obligation to fulfill. My biggest concern is Rin. I don't know if they have told her about the wedding, but I feel as if they have. No one has said if they know where she is or not, but I still feel as if they're hiding something from me.

I'm not sure what makes me more nervous the thought of her showing up or the thought of her not showing up.

**~Ryo~**

We are all disturbed by all the news that has been coming in from the east.

It is no wonder that the most pressing and disturbing news has Naraku written all over it. I received the letter that the Ryu-Tori gave to Masaru and have read over it constantly. I went over it with Kiba and Duro, the Ryu Okami leader and general. I'm not sure if Kazuko would be okay with the fact that I shared such valuable and secretive information, but I felt it was something that the Ryu-Okami needed to know about. If Naraku is building an army this big, his target isn't only our small clan or even just the western lands. It looks like he's getting ready to take over the entire continent.

We have also heard rumors of how Naraku is uniting the humans and a rebellion could be accompanying this war with the humans siding with Naraku. So far it has only been hushed whispers that have been subtly going through the lands and somehow found its' way into the Ryu-Okami village.

Kiba says he will keep this information in mind and will share it with Lord Di after the council meeting. He reasons that Lord Di would want to confront Toro at the next council meeting if he knew about this and it would raise questions of how the fox lord knew in the first place. Kiba has promised that as soon as the council meeting is over, arrangements will be made to meet up and start discussing what plan of action and strategy to use for the upcoming war.

The Ryu-Okami even sent Duro to talk with the Ryu-Neko clan of the south. I did not realize that the four Ryu clans, though they lived and served one of the four lords, had very strong ties to each other and often would help each other when their lords would not. The Ryu-Neko sent back word that they would be willing to meet but they are not willing to say that they will help if a war were to break out. The plan is to see if we can get the Ryu-Tori to attend by saying that the meeting of the four Ryu clans is to be a celebration of sorts at the return of the Ryu-Inu clan. We have not worked out the details nor have we cleared it with Kazuko, but since she is not and I am general I will do what I can until she returns.

**~Shadow~**

Totosai has finally finished Kazuko's staff.

It is a marvelous staff, and it should be after nearly eight years of time to work on it. Totosai admits that he slacked off when it came to the sword, but he swears it took a full seven and a half years to create the staff he dropped off at the village. We were surprised at his visit. To keep from angering anyone further, Masaru had said we would give Totosai until a moon before the council meeting before anyone else was to go check the progress of the staff.

We still have no idea why Kazuko would want a new staff when she has her family's staff that signifies her leadership. Most of us are guessing she does not want to chance the older staff getting damaged in battle.

Masaru and Sage have been too distracted to have done anything about Kazuko's staff arriving. Whatever news the Ryu-Tori brought during their visit, has been troubling both of them. I am not entirely sure what is going on, but I accidently overhear a bit of their conversation while I was doing the moon high patrol around the village.

'_One of us has to go to the north.' Masaru was snarling quietly._

'_What good would that do?' Sage's calming growl responded._

'_We need to make sure that information has reached Kazuko! It's not some casual hint.' Masaru returned._

'_You know as well as I that the training place for Shogakkos is a secret that only Shogakkos know.' Sage countered. 'And the only two who would know the location now are Koru and Kazuko, and I am sure they are both at whatever secret place it is.'_

'_Naraku is bringing in an entire army right under our noses. Before we know it, they will have swarmed us.' Masaru was pacing anxiously._

'_You know the power that the previous Shogakkos possessed…' Sage seemed to want to say more but was interrupted by Masaru._

'_Yes, but Noro, Eri and Jiro had centuries of training and time to perfect their abilities. Kazuko has ten years. How much do you think she truly master in such a short amount of time?' Masaru sounded weary as he took a seat._

'_We must have faith. That is all we can do for now Masaru. I would suggest, if it would calm your nerves, that you go discuss this with Lord Sesshomaru. Perhaps it will ease your nerves; if the two of you were to begin thinking of a counter should Naraku strike.' Sage suggested standing to head back for his dwelling in the village._

'_I think I will. I will leave out at dawn. I trust you can handle things until I return.' Masaru said and scented the air before turning in my direction. 'And Shadow you will be in charge of the training sessions until I return._

Masaru has not returned since then and it has been over four moons. Sage refuses to say what they meant exactly, but whatever it is, I do not have a good feeling about it.

**~Kagura~**

Naraku is gaining the humans support.

Not only the humans in the east, but the humans throughout all four lands are becoming more and more intrigued with hearing Naraku's new form of manipulation.

Enough time has passed that many of those who were alive when Naraku had given himself up to demons are now dead and the story of Naraku's origins have begun to turn to myths and folklore. He is taking advantage of this and has changed the story so that he can gain sympathy from the humans. Not only is he getting the average human's ear, but he has recently begun to have more and more meetings with the human leaders. I can recall a meeting he had with the most prominent human leader, named Yioro, who lived in the borderlands between the east and north.

"_You are a demon are you not? Why should we listen to a demon?" Yioro had asked the suspicion clear on his face._

"_I am a _half_ demon now, but I was once human like you." Naraku said from a kneeling position, his signature baboon pelt covering his features. "It was by fate's cruel twist that I was turned into what I am now." I rolled my eyes from where I stood hidden off to the side, unknown to the human leader. "I was once a simple farmer for my village. I lived a simple life. One night our peaceful village found itself under attack by a foul true born half dog demon by the name of Inuyasha."_

"_I have heard of this half-demon. He is the younger brother of the western lord, is he not?" Yioro had interjected and Naraku gave a nod._

"_Yes he is the very same. He destroyed the entire village, killed the women and children, and forced the men to a cave where his lover, a dark priestess by the name of Kikyo, was waiting." Naraku said expertly rising and lowering his voice to sound as if the remembrance was causing him emotional distress. As I looked up at the humans watching him, I could tell they were becoming easily ensnared in his lie. "They were trying to come up with a spell to turn Inuyasha into a full demon and used human men to test these spells on, by fusing them with full demons with the help of the sacred jewel the priestess had been entrusted to guard. All of the other men died from the spell, I was on the brink of death and left for dead. But the Kamis were not done with their cruel game on me yet, and I did not die. Instead I awoke as I am now."_

"_How horrible." The human leader's wife had whispered._

"_I have had to live my life knowing that all I cared about died at the hands of those cruel two. The priestess died as humans do, but the half demon, Inuyasha, still lives. I only seek to avenge my village, but I am only one man turned into an abomination. I have nowhere near the strength or numbers to take on Inuyasha. I come to request your help, because I believe that the western lord will come to the aid of his brother and I do not have an army as the west does."_

"_You are truly a cursed creature, Naraku." Yioro said solemnly. "We will help you avenge your village. Simply call upon us when you are to confront this half-demon, you will have my army at your back."_

His visits with the other human leaders and large villages went much the same. The only villages he has been unable to reach his influences too are the one Inuyasha guards, and the one the slayer and monk reside in.

I had hoped that this war would be the demise of Naraku and give me my freedom, but even I fear that Naraku's influence has grown too powerful for anyone to stop.

**~Sango~**

There is good news and bad news.

The bad news is that we have become aware of Zaru secretly training Rin in slayer training, even going so far as to get her a demon weapon of her own. He's gotten her twin bone scythes a little smaller than the one Kohaku uses. They have been training at night when everyone else, but the guards, have gone to sleep.

We first found out about it when a returning slayer's group happened to come upon them in the forest. They brought both before us, knowing we had forbidden the training of Rin. As much as we wanted to reprimand them for this action we knew that it had to be handled with carefully as the entire village would catch wind of our decision by morning. Rin had been here for over a year and whispers as to why she wasn't allowed to train were circulating around the village already.

Our only option was to allow Rin to begin formal demon slaying training under a true instructor. We can only hope that this means that she will learn to release her hatred for demons that Zaru is only fueling.

The good news is that Inuyasha and Kagome are to wed one another. We had to read over the letter several times to make sure that what we saw was not some sort of illusion or joke. It wasn't that we weren't happy to hear of such great news. In honest we had just about given up hope that the idiot Inuyasha was going to see Kagome for all the love she had for him.

They are to wed in the fall and we will be attending. Though we could already guess the answer, we informed Rin and invited her to come along with us since at one time she and Kagome had been getting close. Her words had cut deep, and we vowed not to tell Kagome what she had said.

"_Why would I want to go watch a priestess give herself to a demon? We can only hope that they do not produce anymore hell spawn." _

Despite Rin's reaction we're still happy for Kagome and Inuyasha. It's about time.

**~Kazuko~**

I rolled out of the way as the incredulously large and fast demon charged me ending with a slice in a wide arc with his battle axe. He turned at an alarming rate and threw the monstrous weapon in my direct. As I came out of my roll the axe was already inches from my chest and summoning my lightening around my torso was all I could do to prevent the blades from penetrating and was knocked back several feet by the impact.

With his weapon laying behind me and Noro standing unarm I tried to quickly charge him with my arms engulfed in fire, having to settle for hand to hand combat since my staff had been lost long ago in the fight.

Before I was even half way to Noro, I heard the unmistakable sound of a blade slicing the air. I looked over my shoulder to see his axe flying towards me and dove down, getting a face full of dirt to avoid the axe as it went sailing over head back to its' owner. I growled as I stood up. It wasn't the first time Noro had been able to summon his weapon to him. Only this time I looked to the hand that grabbed the weapon and realized it was covered in earth with a slightly visible charge running over it.

'_He's creating a magnet!' _I thought as I jumped back to avoid another swing from the previous Shogakko. _'He's charging the earth to attract the metal in his weapon.' _ I turned and focused on my staff and tried doing the same thing that he had, but the staff only shook a bit but did not come to me.

"It would appear that the wood coating on the staff is affecting the charge." Noro said with a chuckle as he charged me again and swung his axe in horizontal swipe. I jumped out of the way and landed on the flat part of the axe before nailing him with a knee to his jaw. He took a step back and shook his head slightly.

"Is that why you wanted me to use it to fight you?" I snorted flipping off his axe as he reached to grab me.

"No, but it is a nice advantage." He shrugged and brought his axe down in front of him, embedding one of the blades in the ground. "Dragon's Bind!" He called as the earth beneath me began to shift.

I tried to jump away but the ground had swallowed my feet, leaving me unable to move them. No matter how hard I tried I could pull out my feet, and the earth around them was unresponsive as I tried to use my elemental ability to free myself.

"I suppose it's time we ended this, eh?" Noro said as he walked over leisurely, his axe slung over his shoulder. He stopped within a foot of me and brought his axe up directly over his head and swiped it down.

My eyes widened as I couldn't think of anything else to do but to put my arms up over my head, as if it would make a difference when he slashed completely through me. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact, only for the unexpected to happen. First I felt something slip into my grasp and then the sound of metal on metal rung sharply through my ears.

I hesitantly opened my eyes to see Noro's eyes widened with surprise. My eyes traveled up and down his outstretched arms that held his axe above me. I kept going until I saw that his axe was being blocked by something.

'_Totosai's sword.'_ I thought as I stared at the violet blade that was the only thing between there being two of me. It shone with a strange light as visible charges of lightning ran over it.

With as strong a heave as I could manage I was able to knock Noro back. An unknown force compelled me to stab the ground directly in front of me and I felt the earth yield and I pulled myself out.

"I see Totosai made your blade." Noro said as he smiled.

I nodded not answering because a voice was whispering to me.

Noro must have known what was going on because he smiled wider and looked to me. "Just listen to your sword." He said as he charged me.

I felt my adrenaline beginning to pump again and the voice got louder so that I could distinguish what it was saying.

"Forest of Death!" Noro shouted as he slammed his axe into the ground again. This time a forest appeared around us full of trees covered in black leaves that blocked out the sun so were now in completely darkness. I couldn't even see the sword in my hands, but the voices were clear.

I closed my eyes and focused on the scent of the forest. Every tree carried Noro's scent which prevented me from finding him that way, so I had to rely on my hearing. Under the rustling of the leaves I could just barely make out the sound of footsteps heading towards me.

The sword pulsed as I turned towards the footsteps, opened my eyes and shouted "Dragon Storm". I brought the sword from my side in a sweeping arc so that it was being held directly above my head. As the sword moved five dragons, made entirely out of lightning shot from the sword and towards Noro, illuminating the entire forest. Their bodies were slender like the Chinese dragons I remember seeing in paintings. The first wrapped itself around Noro's neck. The next two each wound around each of his arms from wrist to shoulder. The final two wrapped around his legs from ankle to his knees. Dark clouds formed above and I felt possessed as I continued. "Strike!" I finished as I brought my sword down and stuck it into the ground, kneeling. The largest lightning strike I had ever seen came down and struck Noro directly. From Noro it spread out into a massive electric dragon that circled outward from the initial strike destroying everything within a mile, so that by the time it was all done we were in a large crater and his forest had been completely wiped out.

Breathing heavily, I ran over to Noro as I saw him lying motionless in the middle of the crater. He was covered in wounds that alone could kill even the strongest of demons, and he had at least ten of them.

"Noro!" I shouted shaking him, terrified that I had killed him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do it. I don't know what came over me!"

"You did well." He said and I looked down to see him smiling wearily at me. "Don't worry; these are truly just flesh wounds." He started to get up and I tried to stop him. He shook me off and sat up. "I'm already dead, remember." He said motioning to the wounds that healed back up as he stood. By the time he was standing up completely all of his wounds had healed.

"Oh." I said a bit sheepishly and gave him a quick hug. "I'm glad you're okay anyway." I said.

"You have my blessing Kazuko." He said with a smile.

"Thank you." I said and looked around waiting for something to happen. "Now what?"

"Now you get to wake up Eri." Noro said going to take a seat at the edge of the small pond with the waterfall and splashed some water on his face.

"Aren't I supposed to get something from you first though?" I asked.

"You'll receive our blessings at the same time, once you've earned it from Eri and Jiro." Noro answered.

"Ah." I mumbled as I walked to the second statue in the Ryu-Inu Shogakko line, summoned my elements and placed a hand on it.

This time went much smoother than it had when I had awoken Noro. The statue began to move and slight cracking could be heard as the stone melted away to showing a demoness who looked a bit agitated.

"Why wasn't yours this easy?" I said looking towards Noro.

"That's because he likes to make an entrance like all idiots." The newly awakened demoness said in a tone that matched her agitated appearance.

"It's nice to see you too Eri." Noro responded with a chuckle.

"Hmph." She responded moving away from where she had been and looking around before coming to settle on me. Her calculating silver eyes locked on me with an intensity that made me twitchy. She had silver hair that was braided into one long, thick braid that ended below her knees. She wore an outfit that resembled Sango's demon slayer's outfit only it was white with blue plates. Her scent was a bit harder to pick from the scent of stone than Noro's was.

"I take it you're the new Shogakko-in-training." She said and I nodded. "Let's get started then." She walked past me and took a seat in the middle of the clearing. "Have a seat." She said motioning across from her.

I kept my eyes on her the entire time as I took a seat across from her leaving around two feet between us.

"Noro if you would." She said looking towards the third Shogakko that was lounging around. He nodded and placed a hand on the ground. The ground between Eri and I shifted until it resembled a board game that I could vaguely remember seeing before. "You wish for my blessing." She said looking up from the board to me with a small smirk. "Then you must defeat me."

"What is this?" I asked looking over the pieces, picking up one to inspect.

"You jest." Eri said with narrowed eyes.

"She's not from around here Eri; the land she comes from may not have this game." Noro interjected.

"What do you mean not from here? She's a Ryu-Inu isn't she?" She said glaring in my direction. "Unless you're an imposter." She seemed ready to attack.

"No, that's not it." I said quickly. "The clan came under attack from the east. For my protection I was sent away to another land to avoid being forced to serve the east. The land I was raised in is very different from this one."

"Attack? From the east?" Eri hissed and I could see the multiple questions about to come from her.

"How about you explain how this game is played, and while we play I'll explain everything I can." I suggested. Eri hesitated but eventually nodded.

"The name of the game is Shogi." Eri started and began to explain the rules of the game.


	34. Year Nine: Sometime Violence is

**Don't kill me!  
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**I don't have a good excuse and can only offer my sincere, heartfelt apology.  
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**I've had four other fanfictions bouncing around in my head demanding to be written and blocking my thoughts for this one. But I've written them and from now on I will write what comes to mind so that it can clear things up to write for this.  
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**That being said look out for another Fanfiction by me to be coming up soon. As you can see, we're nearing an end for this story. I would say that we are three quarters of the way there. And I have already been working on a sequel so don't worry. But I also have three other stories in working and I don't want to release all four at once, so within the next month or so I will be releasing at least one of them. Don't worry, this story will still get top priority, unless the other story becomes wildly popular, haha.  
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**I think that's it, so I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.  
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**Enjoy ^^  
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* * *

><p><strong>~Year Nine~<br>~Sometimes Violence is the Answer~**

**~Swift~**

I was quite surprised to see Masaru at the Northern castle when I arrived with Lord Sesshomaru.

He was actually the first person to greet us upon our arrival. I hadn't seen Masaru that tense since before the massacre. Though it could already be guessed, he said that he was there to discuss something that couldn't wait. Sesshomaru, indifferent as ever, had allowed Masaru to speak with him, but only after receiving confirmation that Kazuko was not at the castle nor did anyone know where she was. Or at least until the Ryu-Okami Shogakko had shown up the following day.

Koru seemed as surprised to see us as we were to see him. Actually I was surprised, Sesshomaru seemed upset, to put it mildly.

"_Wolf, where is my mate?" The venom on Sesshomaru's voice promised great amounts of pain if his question were answered in a way that he did not find satisfactory._

"_Lady Kazuko is in the final stage of her training. She should be returning within a year or so. If she doesn't return within a moon of the council meeting, I will go retrieve her." Koru seemed unmoved by Sesshomaru's deadly aura._

"_She is alone." Sesshomaru stated and didn't receive a response. "Who is to guarantee her safety?" His tone never changed but his aura continued to reveal his displeasure._

"_Kazuko is fine. She's made it this far and there is no way of stopping this until she finished." Koru responded and turned as Lord Di entered the room. "Lord Di.'" He said with a bow._

"_Well there was always that one Ryu-Neko Shogakko that died during the final stage." The fox lord commented with an aloof look, though mischief was clear in small smirk. Damn foxes always causing trouble._

_Koru's eyes widened and his jaw parted slightly in surprise as he watched his lord say such things. He gave a shaky chuckled and turned back towards a dog demon that looked to be on the verge of killing him._

"_Well yes there is always the very minor, nearly impossible and definitely improbable, possibility of death." Koru said looking as if he were trying to come up with something, anything, to would get him out of this situation._

"_If any harm befalls my mate, you will suffer grave consequences wolf." Sesshomaru said before leaving with Masaru, Jaken and me following._

_Just before we were out of hearing range I could hear Koru's relieved whisper._

"_Are you trying to get me killed? If you want a new general just say so, I'll step down." He said with a sigh._

"_I was doing nothing of the sort." Lord Di responded with amusement clear in his voice. "I was merely allowing Sesshomaru to know all possible outcomes, and keeping you on your toes."_

From there the discussions about the Chinese warlord Naraku has allied himself with didn't do much to lessen the tension.

**~Shippo~**

Sesshomaru, Koru and Dagger's arrival took me by surprise.

I had assumed that Koru was still training with Kazuko, and I'm guessing by the fact that he returned without her, she was still training. When Lord Di asked about the progress of the training, Koru responded that he was not able to say anything about it, more than to assure us that Kazuko was indeed still training and safe. Dagger was equally tight lipped only inferring that Kazuko was now training with someone else, though I thought that Kazuko and Koru were the only Shogakkos.

I had thought Sesshomaru would have kept to the western lands until we returned, as to not raise any suspicions, the reasoning as to why Ryo, Katrina and I haven't traveled back to the western lands yet. But he has come, officially speaking, to talk with Lord Di, though I'm sure there is more to it than just that. During his entire visit he seemed on edge, though only the slightest of hints gave it away. Yet for Lord Sesshomaru to allow his self-control to slip even the fraction it has, speaks volumes about what he must be going through having been separated from his mate for so long.

I am a little concerned at the thought of Kazuko being off somewhere training in a strange land without any protection. My thoughts are kept level with the knowledge that she has spent the better part of a decade training so she should be capable of looking after herself by now, not that she wasn't before, and she is with whoever this other mysterious trainer is. Plus since the Shogakko training grounds is supposed to be only known to Shogakkos there shouldn't be anyone who can get close enough to be threatening.

Over the past year I've hit another growth spurt and Lord Di says I'll have around five more over the next seven decades before I've hit my full height. It's pretty cool; I now stand at about three feet, if not an inch or so under. I've had to get a new set of clothing and decided not to continue with my usual pattern. Instead I've chosen an outfit that reflects my pack and loyalty. I now were a pair of black bottoms like Inuyasha's and a dark red top without sleeves and a black vest with the Ryu-Inu symbol on the back and the western crest over the right breast. My daggers fit perfectly inside the shirt on small loops that Lord Di had put in.

Kagome send a confusing letter during the early part of summer. She mentioned something about big news, but has refused to say what it is, because, whatever it is, Inuyasha doesn't want people to know yet. But whatever the news she has assured that it is good news and not something that needs to be worried about. She was very understanding when I explained to her why I couldn't attend her and Inuyasha's wedding, saying she knew that if I could have come she knows I would have.

She refused to answer my question of whether Rin attended or not.

**~Kana~**

Naraku's plans draw near completion.

He has sent Kagura and me throughout the four lands and even to the continent to make sure that his will is being carried out. I had never been to the continent and after having visited, I do not wish to ever go again.

I had once heard it was a beautiful land filled with splendid villages and wondrous forest that contained marvels that could only be imagined. But that is not the place we came across on our visit. The land we visited was a land filled with chaos and havoc as the multitudes of demons there seemed unruly and uncaring towards the others around them. Not a single human could be found.

The only thing, or rather person, that brought even a semblance of order to the demons was the one called Zao, the bear demon that is warlord and ruler of the continent. He and his horde make sure that their needs are met by putting the other demons in their place. There is no place for weakness among them, and any weakness, real or imagined, is eliminated as soon as it is discovered.

Demonesses are in short supply and after our visit it is easy to see why. The few demonesses that are left on the continent are essentially sex slaves, only used for breeding purposes and lust fulfillment for the demons that inhabit the cursed land. If it had not been for the fact that we were there on official business for Naraku, I have no doubt that the same fate would have befallen Kagura and I. While we were there we heard plenty of rumors suggesting that the shortage of demonesses was another reason Zao agreed to work with Naraku.

Naraku has gotten over his head when he partnered with this demon. From what the demons we passed on the continent say, Zao has had his eyes set on taking over Japan for a long time, and Naraku has provided the perfect opportunity.

This war is getting more dangerous by the minute, and while we no doubt have the power and numbers to take down the Ryu-Inus and the west, I fear what will happen afterwards. It is clear that Toro plans to use Zao to betray Naraku, as Naraku plans to use Zao to betray Toro. Yet now there is the added factor that Zao intends to betray them both, and of the three Zao has the numbers to stand against them both.

I do not fear the war that is coming. To die at the hands of the west or Inuyasha's group would be a much more honorable death than anything else Naraku deserves, but I do worry for what will happen after we are victorious. I get the feeling that losing to the Ryu-Inus and the west is the only way to prevent an even greater catastrophe.

**~Kagome~**

I can't believe Inuyasha and I are married.

His attitude hasn't changed much when around others, but in private he has changed a considerable amount and it makes me happy. I had worried he might stay the same distant person he always was, but he's opening up.

I have taken over the duties as the new head priestess of the village as Kaede has gotten too old to carry out the duties anymore. I could even dare to say that Inuyasha has learned to relax a little, well he did for a while until a bit of new, unexpected, information came about.

"_Just spit it out!" Inuyasha growled at Kaede, though even his growl was soft as he looked at the aged priestess who was surely nearing the end of her time on this earth._

_He had dragged us here from the hut we shared on the edge of the forest at the break of dawn. He'd been grumbling about something the whole time and had asked Kaede to check for something, but neither one had come out and told me what it was._

"_I am sure with your demon senses you already know. Ye simply seek me to confirm what you have already guessed, am I correct?" Kaede said as she studied me with a weak gaze. "Lady Kagome is indeed pregnant."_

"_WH…What?!" I sputtered as I looked between the two. "What do you mean?"_

"_Thought so." Inuyasha said under his breath in a tone that almost sounded angry._

"_It is as you say. Now off with you two, this ailing old woman needs rest." Kaede said making a dismissing motion._

_Inuyasha and I left. The silence was unsure and tense between us until we reached the hut we shared._

"_Why are you upset, Inuyasha?" I turned to see him sitting with his back against the wall near the door as he always did when upset._

"_We can't have a kid." He grumbled with a shake of his head. "This wasn't supposed to happen."_

"_Why not? Sango and Miroku have a child…" I was stopped from finishing my sentence by a short growl._

"_Sango and Miroku are human! What kind of life can our kid have being the child of a half-demon?! And what if they come out a half-demon too? I know what it's like to grow up as a half-demon; I don't want that for your child." He responded, his ears showing the slightest of a droop._

"_Inuyasha _our_ child will be fine." I said sitting beside him and placed my head on his shoulder. "They're going to have two parents that love them, Sango, Miroku, Kilala and Shippo, even and aunt and uncle in Kazuko and maybe Sesshomaru." Inuyasha gave a snort and I giggled. "Okay maybe not Sesshomaru, but our child will still have lots of people that love them." He seemed to calm down a little and another thought came to me. "What do you mean what if they come out a half demon? Wouldn't they be more human than demon, not half right?"_

"_That's not what happens when half-demons have children." He said with a thoughtful look. "I don't remember the exact details, but I know that when a half-demon has children they either pass on their demon blood or human blood. That's why some demons are willing to take half-demon mates, because there is a chance they'll pass on their demon blood and give birth to a full demon."_

"_So our child will either be a half-demon or a full human?" I asked and felt him nod._

Since then Inuyasha has reached a whole new level of protectiveness that I hadn't thought was possible. He's become my shadow and never leaves my side. Kaede told us that the only way to find out for sure what the child will be is to see how long the pregnancy last. If it's a human then it will take around nine months, if it's a half demon it should take around eleven months.

I can't imagine being pregnant for eleven months.

**~Kazuko~**

"This is impossible." I groaned as I watched Eri take my pawn.

"You lose, reset the board." She said and watched as I reset the pieces.

'_I can't believe I've been playing this game for almost a year now.' _I thought. Though I had no way of accurately telling how much time had passed, I knew that we'd gone through at least three season and it felt like we were coming up on winter again. The only bright side was that every half-moon Eri let me get a few hours of sleep.

It wasn't the game that was making the task at hand difficult. I caught on to the game with relative ease as I could remember having played it with my adoptive grandparents when I was young. Eri had added her own special rules that were currently driving me crazy.

"_And that's how you play. You got it?" Eri asked and I nodded slightly._

"_Seems simple enough and I think I have played this before." I said eager to get this over with. "So all I have to do is beat you by taking your lord?"_

"_Exactly." Eri stated and I began to start planning my first move when she cleared her throat to get my attention. "Oh and there is a catch. You can't lose any of your pieces in the process."_

"_What?" I questioned hoping I had heard her wrong._

"_A good leader will find a way to end the battle without allowing fatalities to befall anyone under their command." Eri said as she moved her pawn. "So let's get started shall we."_

Since then it had been the never ending battle. The farthest I had gotten was getting her down to five pieces before she got one of my pieces.

"There is no way to do this. It's impossible to go through a full scale war, as this is simulating, without losing a few fighters. Those in the war take on that chance when they choose to fight." I snapped a little harder than needed as my patience had all but evaporated.

"Who says that everyone participating in a war chooses to fight? What of those who must fight or die?" Eri pointed out and I gave out a frustrated sound that was a cross between a growl and a scream. "Besides did the east not eliminate our entire clan without losing any of their own?"

"They attacked in the middle of the night before we were prepared." I responded and finished resetting the board.

"It doesn't matter how they did it, the point is they did, did they not?" Eri said a bit angrily.

Somewhere in the more rational part of my brain I knew that she was only edgy because of knowing her entire clan was slaughtered and she had been helpless. Yet that part of my mind had long been shadowed by my frustration, exhaustion and annoyance at the catch of this impossible game.

"Oh yea well how about this." I snarled picking up her king, tossed it aside and placed one of my pawns in its place. "There I win. Your king is gone and I still have all my pieces!" I could feel a bit of drool coming out of the corner of my mouth, and I could only imagine I looked like some deranged animal.

"So you do." Eri said with a shrug and stood to stretch. "It's about time you figured it out. I was beginning to think you wouldn't get it." She said going over to give a lounging Noro a nudge of her foot. "Kazuko has finished my test you lug." She said as Noro stood and yawned. "I haven't sparred with you in ages; let's have a match while she is with Jiro.

"Ah now that's more my speed." Noro said hefting his heavy axe onto his shoulder.

"Wait? WHAT! Are you serious? That's all I had to do? That's not even a legal move." I shouted as I stood and stalked over to the two.

"A good leader knows that the rules must be broken to protect those who serve them." Eri said with a casual shrug as if we hadn't just spent most of the year playing a game that could have ended after the first ten seconds.

"Why didn't you tell me that I could do that?" I was still in a state of shock and felt my annoyance rising.

"Do you think someone is just going to hand you the key to victory in the middle of battle?" She snapped back. "You have to learn for yourself, haven't you gotten that by now? How do you expect to do anything for my clan if you can't even get simple lessons like this?!"

"It's my clan too." I snarled stepping closer.

"Really? Then where have you been huh? Where were you when **your **clan was slaughtered because of you?" She spat her words clipped short.

"I was an infant, how the hell was I supposed to do anything?" I growled feeling my anger stirring my inner demon and my aura starting to rise.

"Whoa now ladies, let's not get out of hand. You're both just tired." Noro tried to interject, but was ignored by the both of us.

"Perhaps you should have never been born then! If it weren't for your birth my clan would still be alive and I would be training a competent Shogakko!" Eri countered her aura flaring.

Before I could think about what command to give my body or what to say, I had sprung at Eri with my claws outstretched. I was able to knock her back but she was able to quickly roll so that she was crouching on all fours and facing me. I landed in a similar crouch, my eyes bleeding red.

With a rumbling growl Eri's aura flowed around her in a bluish white swirl, dissipating to show a transformed Eri. In her larger true form she was silver from snout to tail without any changes, even her wings and eyes were the same silver as her fur that glowed in the moon. If the situation hadn't been so tense and filled with bloodlust, I would have been awed by her beauty.

Instead I let out my own growl of anger and transformed into my larger true form. A dark snarl emitted from between my bared fangs as I stared down the demoness a few feet away from me.

This time Eri didn't wait for my attack, instead she jumped at me her claws slashing at my chest. I rolled out of the way, and latched my fangs into her hind left leg. She gave out a ghostly howl of pain before she twisted her body around so that her fangs sank into my right wing. It was clear that his was not going to be a calculated or strategic battle of skill and grace, instead this was a down and dirty true dog fight.

We moved around the area a tangle of violet and silver fur with splashes of red casting dark shadows to cover the flesh wounds that were increasing. Eri scraped her claws down my left side leaving four deep gashes as I scratched down her left eye leaving it too damaged to see out of. She rammed into my other side to knock me over. Her fangs glinted in the moon as she went for the killing blow to my unprotected neck. With half luck and half desperation, and absolutely no skill, I was able to move my neck just enough so that her fangs sunk into the side of my neck instead of the throat, and thankfully she missed the jugular and any vital arteries.

Thankfully I was slightly bigger than her and was able to push my way and knock her off, though not without losing some flesh and fur. I felt the blood freely pouring out of the wound and growled quietly as the surroundings began to swim slightly. If this fight was going to end with me being the victor, it would have to end quickly.

As if she were reading my thoughts, Eri pouched at me again. I jumped out of the way, but she got her fangs into my tail and dragged it back so that I lost my balance and fell onto my stomach. Instantly she was upon my back with her fangs sinking into the soft scruff as she aimed for my spinal cord.

I heaved up and rolled so that I landed on top of her. She continued to bite down until the lack of oxygen got to her and she had to let go and push me away so that she could breathe. While she stood trying to gain her breath back I charged and head-butted her side. I placed my paws on her chest, the claws sinking into the flesh. I let out a deep, possessed sounding howl of triumph as I lowered my fangs to her neck. I landed on pointed and found feel her jugular pulsing between my fangs, all I had to do was bite down and this would be over.

Just as I was about to bite I felt a pair of fangs sink into my scruff, only these were not vicious like Eri's had been. Instead it was soft though firm as when a mother was picking up a pup. Instinctively I felt my body relax as I was pulled off Eri by my scruff. As I was removed from her, Eri went to attack me, but was blocked by another massive body.

Through the blood, sweat and demonic aura, I could smell that the one blocking Eri's way was Noro. He stood in his full form, his black fur making him seem more like a living shadow. His grey eyes looked as fierce as I'd ever seen them as he growled at Eri to stand down. Eri seemed unsure but eventually relaxed, though her intense stare stayed locked on me.

The fangs holding my scruff released slowly as if seeing if I would attack. I allowed myself to relax as well, though I met Eri's glare with one of my own. As I tried to scent out who had stopped me I could only come up with the heavy smell of stone, no other scent was discernible from that.

'This isn't how I expected to meet the newest Inu-Ryu Shogakko.' A growl from behind me, belong to the mystery person reached my ears. 'Surely the two of you would know better, and don't tell me it was training. I could feel the hatred rolling off the two of you and these injuries are not the kind you would inflict upon one you were training with.'

As he spoke of the injuries I took it as a time to truly look over Eri and myself.

She was standing on three legs, her hind left leg pulled against her body at an odd angle. Part of her right ear was missing and her left eye was now swollen shut with blood crusted over it. She had long, deep gashes all over her body so that her silver fur was now red with silver markings.

I could feel my right wing hanging at a bad angle, signaling that it was most likely broken or dislocated. My tail was damn near hairless now and I had to keep weight off of my front left paw. The bite to my neck was still pouring like a waterfall, covering the grass below us in a pool of my own blood. My fur was similarly colored to Eri's only with violet markings. We looked like we belonged to a hellish army of hounds. As the adrenaline cooled from my system the pain of my injuries hit me like a pile of bricks.

'My apologize Jiro, I forgot myself.' Eri said dipping her head to the one behind me.

Slowly and quite painfully I turned to face the one behind me. I was immediately struck by Jiro's appearance.

His fur was orange, like a tabby cat's and his wings were green like leaves in spring. His eyes gleamed gold as they looked between the three of us. They didn't hold anger, but rather a sort of disappointment that one would expect form a parent scolding their child.

'Go clean up. Noro go with her to make sure she's ok.' Jiro barked looking past me. I heard a ruffling of wings and I felt Eri and Noro's auras moving away.

'Not a good way to meet you.' Jiro said as he walked up beside me and began examining my wing.

'I lost my cool, sorry about that.' I responded, though secretly I was glad I had been able to fight for my honor, even if he had been against one who was supposed to help me.

'You're not that sorry.' Jiro grunted as he gave a cautionary poke of the wing, which I responded to with a sharp hiss of pain. 'Eri has a habit of running her mouth past the limit.' He said with a hint of amusement. 'So what's your name?'

'Kazuko.' I said dropping my aura and preparing to transform back.

'Don't!' Jiro barked as I froze. 'Your wing is broken at the middle and has been pulled out of place. If you transform back now, it'll never heal correctly.' He walked over to one of the trees and pulled it up. He dropped it in front of me and read my clearly confused look. 'I'm going to have to put it back in place. Crouch down and bite the tree.' He ordered. With my injured paw it was a bit difficult, but I managed to crouch down and bit into the tree. I felt Jiro's paws on my back and his teeth grasped the injured wing gently. 'On three, he said through his full maw. One….' There never was a three or even a two, as he pulled the wing sharply until I felt a pop and small crack.

'What the hell happened to three?!' I howled in pain as I bit straight through the tree as if it were butter.

'You would have tensed and I wouldn't have been able to get it back into place.' Jiro barked as he helped me stand. 'You can change back now, though it's going to hurt.'

I changed back and he was right. Normally the shifting of bones from one form to the other gave a slight tingling sensation, but this time, every shift of my broken and battered bones made me feel as if I were being beaten. Even once I was back in my normal form, I could feel the soreness in my wrist, neck and back.

Jiro followed and changed into his humanoid form revealing a demon with long orange hair that ran to his mid-back with green tips. His golden eyes looked me over with a bit of concern. "Do you need further assistance?" He asked.

"No, now that the wing is fixed I just need to rest and recover." I said making a very conscious effort not to move a muscle.

"Thankfully my training doesn't require much moving, though you are going to want to sit down." Jiro said taking a seat.

I looked at the ground and crouched down, feeling my body protest at ever muscle movement. It seemed like an eternity before I felt myself hit the ground, sending spasms of pain up my spine.

"Now that you're seated let's get started." Jiro said with a small smile.


	35. Year Ten: Time to go Home

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**In honor of Valentine's Day I have done two things. One gotten this chapter done. Two released the first chapter of my next fanfic. Don't worry, this is still my main priority, but feel free to check out my other one. Unless that one gets like a thousand reviews, it will be on the back burner until I finish this one. :D**

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><p><strong>~Year Ten~<br>~Time to go Home~**

**~Sesshomaru~ **

This ten year prison is finally over.

Izu has gone through the ritual needed to release my inner demon. I was, and will never admit, momentarily stunned at how strong a rush of power washed over me as I returned to full strength. Even Izu voiced his surprise. He claims that the spell should have released my inner demon slowly and over a period of half a moon. Yet the moment Izu finished the spell my inner demon awoke completely and in one giant rush.

The rage at being locked away and the longing for Kazuko provided a powerful rebellion of my control over the beast within, but I have managed to quell it for now. As soon as my beast was released it reached out to Kazuko, through our mating markings, and quickly found her somewhere in the eastern lands. In a passing thought I realized I could probably locate the Shogakko training place with our mating marks, but that was quickly pushed away. Initially there was a pause and then a feeling that she was heading towards us at a speed that I didn't know she was capable of. My inner demon was put at bay with the knowledge that she was approaching fast.

Even I wonder if my control can last long enough for her arrival.

**~Shippo~**

It feels more like centuries than just ten years since I came to the northern castle.

The other foxes have done pretty well in accepting me as one of their own; something I hadn't thought would happen when I first arrived. When I first arrived they hadn't understood or accepted my connection to Ryo and the others, but now that have at least accepted it, though I doubt they fully understand it. But I don't fault them for it. If I hadn't been living this, I wouldn't be able to understand it either.

Even though it has been thoroughly advised against, once I return to the west I plan to sneak a visit to Miroku and Sango's slayer's village where I last heard Rin was. I can't help but want to see her. Maybe if I can explain why Sesshomaru sent her away, for her own safety, it will change how she feels about demons. No matter how hard I tried to ignore or cast aside my feelings for Rin, I just can't.

It's a small chance but I just have to try.

**~Ryo~**

I can't believe we spent ten years with the Ryu-Okami.

Just a few months before this all started, Katina and I had been nothing more than mere human slaves of the eastern castle. During our time there I had always thought if we somehow managed to escape, I would never willingly spend another second near a demon. But then the kamis sent Kazuko to rescue us and show us what who and what we truly were.

Now we've returned to the village that we are from, the Ryu-Inu village. I don't remember much from before the massacre, I had been so young, but the village is starting to look and feel more like how I remembered it for those brief years. I had missed the other guardians and now having the former orphans here has made a huge difference. I would still like to see Kazuko to ensure with my own eyes that she is alright, but judging by a very large aura pulse that came from the western castle, I can guess the village will not be her first stop.

Oh well, I've waited ten years, what's a few more days going to hurt.

**~Claw~**

After ten years the others are back, or at least most of them.

Having Katina, Ryo, Dagger, Hawk, Leaf and Oak back was a cause of celebration in the village. The newest members of our village, former orphans and castaways, who were forced into hiding after the massacre because of their Ryu-Inu parentage, were thrilled to meet two of the last three pure-blooded Ryu-Inus.

Ryo and Katina welcomed the newest members with equal excitement and acceptance. Ryo seems satisfied with his father's swords. It would appear he's gotten a good grasp over how to use them and even showed off a bit for us. Masaru is now asking that Ryo help train the new warriors and Katina is helping Sage train the other new mages. Our village is almost like it used to be.

Now all that's left is to wait for Kazuko.

**~Naraku~**

I've waited ten years for this.

Soon the council meeting will be held. Toro and I shall present ourselves in a non-threatening way to ensure that no one thinks we have any ulterior motives. We shall present a lie to the other demon lords and leaders. Part of the lie is to say Toro is considering mates and will be taking request from demon leaders for their daughters as potential mates. I will present myself as the new advisor of the east. Most of the idiots in the council will not even know who I am since I have kept my activities mostly to the west, and Sesshomaru is too proud to admit that I am a foe he has been unable to take care of. Instead the dog will say nothing and no one else will be any wise of my plans.

Once the council meeting is over, I will contact Zao and tell him to begin bringing in his full army. Thankfully the west is between the east and the continent. Once the war starts Zao will land on the west's shores and there will be no way for the west to fight off two large armies that are coming from two different sides. It will be simple to divide and conquer them.

I've waited ten years for this, and the time draws near.

**~Inuyasha~**

I can't believe it's been ten year since we've seen Kazuko.

Her training should be over or coming to an end by now. Kagome says she wants to travel to the western lands to see Kazuko and the others. There is no way I'm letting her leave the village to travel that far so soon after giving birth to our pup.

At the end of spring she gave birth to our son, Takeshi. Knowing the life that awaits a half-demon's son it only made sense to give him a name that means warrior. He inherited my demon side, making him a half-demon like myself, though his appearance could easily pass him as a full demon. He has the golden eyes that mark my bloodline, but his hair is black like Kagome's, and instead of dog ear like me he has pointed ears like Shippo and Kazuko do. I can only hope that maybe his life will be easier since his appearance does not automatically give him away as a half-demon.

I've told Kagome we've waited ten years and we can wait a little longer. I know when the time is right, Kazuko will come to us. She knows we want to take down Naraku as much as, if not more than, anyone else.

So until then we will wait.

**~Kazuko~**

Wow it's been almost ten years.

"That's all I have for you Kazuko. You have my blessing and it is time you fully joined our ranks." Jiro said as we came to a stop, the forest around us swaying gently as if applauding.

"Do you really think I'm ready?" I asked, placing my hand on one of the trees and sighing slightly. "I don't feel at all ready. Don't get me wrong I've learned so much here, but it seems so miniscule compared to what I'm about to go up against." Jiro and I had spent who knows how long in this forest. It was peaceful and Jiro had told me stories of our clan and important figures. He also explained secrets of the clan as well as informed me of our allies that I hadn't know we had.

"You have learned what you came here to learn. We've given you what we could in the time we have had. Once you have dealt with the east you can return and resume your training. While you have learned a lot of what normally takes centuries to learn, you haven't fully learned what we have to teach you, nor have you mastered everything that you have learned."

"I know that somewhere in there you were trying to make me feel better, but all I heard was 'I still have a lot to learn and even more to master'." I responded running a hand through my hair and watching the violet strands slip through my fingers.

"Essentially." Jiro said with a chuckle at some inside joke I wasn't aware of. "But take solace in the fact that all you have yet to learn is purely mental. Physically you're more than ready to take on the east, shall I refer you to your little disagreement with Eri."

"That was as much of a disagreement as there is only a pond between here and the continent." I said with a shake of my head.

"Regardless, you have the ability to take on the foes you will face and we have given you the wisdom to come out victorious." Jiro said with a knowledgeable smile.

"So you think we will win." I stated though my tone suggested it was a question.

"I believe you will have everything you need to win." Jiro said his answer both reassuring and annoying me at the same time. His answers were always cryptic and led me to find my own answers. Just as I was about to confront him on it, he turned his attention past me, as if something were coming. I turned but could not see anything. "Someone draws near; I believe it is time we went back. Plus your time draws near."

"Don't tell me, we've been at this for a year?" I asked looking around at the unchanging forest. It was still lush and green, and if we really had been in here for a year the leaves should have fallen off by now, if not at least have changed colors.

"Not quite, but close enough." Jiro said as he placed his hand on the tree. "Call your element to return you to your body, as I showed you before. I will see you back in the real realm." The vines and branches of the tree morphed into a long bodied dragon that wrapped itself around Jiro. There was a strong breeze and then the tree reverted to normal with no trace of the oldest Ryu-Inu Shogakko.

I looked up to the hidden sky that was blocked out by the leaves. I did as Jiro had instructed me to do to get into this elemental realm. Closing my eyes, I focused on the energy of my surroundings and drew it to the yellow dragon around my waist. I fought through the familiar feeling of nausea as I felt the energy storing up. Once I felt I had gathered up enough I brought my hands together and a bright flash of lighting in the form of a roaring dragon shot down from above the trees and engulfed me.

The feeling of willing myself between the real realm and the elemental one, was something I had yet to get used to and doubted I would anytime soon. It felt as if my body were being torn apart bit but bit then being thrust back together.

When the lighting has faded away I looked around to see Jiro, Eri and Noro looking at me as well as Koru.

"As I was saying she was on her way from the elemental realm." Jiro said to Koru who nodded in response. "Allow us a few minutes and then she will be all yours." Koru gave another short nod, transformed and left the training area.

"What was he doing here?" I asked as I waited for the feeling of vertigo to leave and had to sturdy myself by using my staff as a walking stick.

"He wanted you to know you have a month until the council meeting and it was time you headed back to the west." Noro said with his familiar smirk.

"Before you go, we must give you our blessing." Jiro said. "Turn and kneel Kazuko and accept our blessings so that you may become a true Shogakko of the Ryu-Inu clan."

Slowly I turned so my back was to them and kneeled a feeling of excitement and unease playing tug-of-war in my stomach. Out of the corner of my eyes I could have sworn I saw others standing in the clearing.

"I have seen your ability and welcome you as Shogakko of the Ryu-Inu clan. My blessing is one of strength so that you may defend those who cannot defend themselves." Noro said and I felt his heavy palm land on my back. Before I could wonder what he was doing I felt a sharp pain as if I had a mountain dropped on the spot where Noro's hand was, all at once I was stormed with every memory of battle Noro had, including his final battle. As quickly as the pain started it was over, Noro's palm left and I could sense he was stepping back.

"I have seen your ability and welcome you as Shogakko of the Ryu-Inu clan. My blessing is one of strategy so that you can prevent the unnecessary loss of those who you fight beside in battle." Eri's voice still had a bit of an edge as her palm came down on my back. I expected hers to be more painful due to her clear dislike of me, but I was surprised to feel a spreading cool wash through my body as if rinsing my insides, her memories were equally as intense as Noro's but held an underlying sense of control as she lead each battle party and came up with plans for attack. I could feel myself relaxing and gaining a clearer perspective. Again the feeling left as soon as it started and Eri stepped back.

"I have seen your ability and welcome you as Shogakko of the Ryu-Inu clan. My blessing is one of wisdom so that you may lead those who look to you for guidance." Jiro said as he placed his palm on my back and I felt the same sense of calm and understanding I had when we entered the forest of the elemental realm. Jiro's memories were numerous and seemed overwhelming as he was not only the first Shogakko, but also the first leader of the Ryu-Inu clan and had to bring order to a clan with new found abilities. The pain at the end caught me by surprise and I had to hold back a snarl as Jiro stood back.

"Rise and face us as a full Shogakko." Jiro commanded.

As I stood I felt a bit out of it as the three blessings settled within me, but I turned with my head held as high as I could to show I was ready. When I turned I realized I had been right earlier when I had thought there were others around. Standing around Jiro, Eri, and Noro were several others who looked on in quiet acceptance.

"These are the former Shogakkos of all four clans." Noro whispered quietly as if he could ready my confusion. "They are here to welcome you."

"Fellow Shogakkos I present to you Kazuko of the Ryu-Inu clan. She has proven herself ready to take on the responsibilities and duties of a Shogakko. Do any of you find reason that she may not deserve this title?" Jiro questioned the group. He continued when he was met with silence. "Then I, Jiro, first Shogakko of the Ryu-Inu clan, bestow the title of Shogakko upon Kazuko of the Ryu-Inu clan."

"Welcome Shogakko Kazuko." A chorus echoed after Jiro spoke and I felt a small smile spread on my face.

"Thank you; I will do what I can to honor you who have put your trust in me." I responded and received several nods.

"Good luck kiddo." Noro said as he came over and gave be a quick bear hug, and the rest began to fade.

After a few moments the only one who was left was Jiro.

"There is one last thing I will give you. Hold out your hand." Jiro said and I did as instructed. He turned my hand so that my palm was up and he placed his palm on mine.

As soon as his hand touched mine a powerful wave ran through my body and right to the core of my inner beast. The wave was an aura so strong that for a brief moment I thought the sheer power of it would rip me apart. Instinctually I tried to pull my hand away, but Jiro's grip was firm as he refused to let go. The power flowed through me for what seemed like forever, but was most likely only a few seconds. Once the power subsided Jiro pulled his hand away from mine.

"What was that?" I asked, my breath coming out in ragged pants. As I looked down at my right palm I saw a multi-colored dragon, similar to the one on my staff, wrapped around a white dog. The marking faded until it was completely gone.

"That is your last resort." Jiro said his tone grave and his expression serious. "Focus all five elements into the mark and release your inner beast completely to unleash a power stronger than anything you will ever experience. But you can only use it once; you must only use it when the time is right and when you have no other options. Avenge our clan Shogakko Kazuko." Jiro said as he too faded away leaving me alone in the clearing.

"Hey Koru you can come back now." I called out into the sky in the direction I remember Koru going.

A few minutes passed before I saw a growing dot descending on the clearing. Koru landed and transformed back into his humanoid form.

"Welcome Shogakko Kazuko." He said with a smile and gave a small bow. "I'm glad you were welcomed as a full Shogakko."

"Thanks, so you said there was one last thing you wanted to teach me before I could leave." I said raising an eyebrow in question.

"Yes I did." Koru said reaching into his shirt and pulling out something. He grabbed my right hand and placed something inside of it. "This will help you." He said pulling his hand back and I inspected what he had put in it. It was a small paper that almost looked like one of Miroku's sutras. "Toss it in the air and call the names of your former Shogakkos. It is a pathway from the spirit world here and the real world. Your former Shogakkos will come to your aid, but the portal only lasts for an hour, use it wisely."

"I'll keep that in mind." I said wrapping the paper around the hilt of my sword. "Now what?"

"Now you go home." Koru said walking over to the side of the clearing where the mountain wall enclosed the area. He placed his hand on the stone wall and the earth shifted revealing four tunnels. "This tunnel," he said standing next to the second one to the right, "will lead you into the western lands and dumps out a few miles north of the Ryu-Inu village. I assume you can get back to the western castle from there." Koru said as I came over to stand next to him.

"What about the others?" I questioned as I looked into the dark tunnel. "And why can't I just fly back."

"Don't worry about them. Katina, Ryo, Dagger, Hawk, Leaf and Oak have already headed back to the village. Shippo is going to stay in the northern castle until after the council meeting then he will come back with you then. We can't risk anyone knowing you're here without Sesshomaru they might think we are forming some kind of secret alliance. Nor can we risk someone following your scent trail to this place." Koru said with a smile. "I'd go on if I were you and I'd run fast." He gave a quick glance at the rising sun. "If you go full speed and don't stop you can make it to the western castle by sun down tomorrow." As he was speaking I noticed he was closing in so close that I had to take a few steps back to avoid being knocked over by him.

"Why are you rushing me?" I questioned as I realized that he had cornered me into the tunnel and was blocking the opening with his body.

"See you in a month." Koru said as be held his hand up and the rocks slid back in place blocking off the tunnels and trapping me in the one that led to the west.

"What the hell was his problem?" I grumbled to myself as I turned and waited for my eyes to adjust to the tunnel's darkness. When that didn't happen I huffed and began to walk hesitantly down the tunnel with my hand brushing the side. "How am I supposed to go full speed when I can't even see what's in front of me." I shouted back towards the entrance as I bumped into the wall when the tunnel curved.

A few minutes later, as I bumped into another curve of the tunnel, I was about to let out a string of curses when I felt two distinct feelings wash over me.

The first hit like someone had put a blow torch inside of me and was letting it incinerate me from the outside in. So that's why Koru was in such a hurry, he had sensed my heat coming. Ten years of pent up sexual frustration descended on me until I couldn't keep myself up on my shaking legs.

The second feeling sprouted from my mating mark and spread through my body causing an even stronger desire to arise, one that got my inner beast going crazy. I don't know how I was so sure, but I knew Sesshomaru's inner demon had been unleashed and it was calling to me.

My breathing became ragged and my vision bled purple as I felt myself transforming into my smaller form. Thankfully the cave was large enough for me to move. The moment I had fully transformed I took off through the tunnel. It was as if I had locked onto Sesshomaru's aura like a beacon and was charging towards it. No longer did the dark tunnel bother me as I sped through it with a sureness I didn't know I possessed.

My inner demon was out and ready to mate the demon I had fallen for and hadn't seen in almost ten years. For once I gave myself freely to my inner beast and let it take over my consciousness completely.


	36. Good to be Home

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**Um... don't really have anything to say. Oh! Go check out my other story 'Alphas and Omegas'. It's different than this one, so don't worry I won't mind if you like this story but not that one. I'm trying to write that one to attract others who may not like this story, and they may like the darker tone that my other story has.**

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><p><strong>~Good to Be Home~<strong>

I exploded out of the tunnel like a fox with an entire hunting party on my heels. The sun, which I had not seen in two days, momentarily blinded me, but not once did my paws pause as they charged over the landscape. Instead I settled for crashing into a few unfortunate trees, knocking them down with such a force that even the roots came up. Once my eyes settled with the new lit landscape I flexed out my wings in an experimental shake. They were sore from having been pushed against my back while I had been in the tunnel, and the one that Eri had broken still had a bit of stiffness to it, but over all they were ready for flight.

A mound of rocks lay just ahead and I altered my path slightly so that I was heading towards them. I aimed for the largest boulder. In wide bounds, I was up the boulder and took a leap off the edge, then let my wings take over. I was above the trees in no time and I could feel the tingles of the setting sun against my fur trying to keep me warm as I soared higher and higher. I did not stop my ascent until I could clearly see the western castle in the distance. My inner beast allowed for one brief stop to look back at the Ryu-Inu village that was also visible behind me. I let out a barking howl to reassure Ryu and Katina that I had made it back safely and would come to see them soon.

It didn't take long for a responding howl to come. I could clearly pick out Ryu and Katina's howls, but they were surrounded by a chorus of howls I could not distinguish. Though it did peak my curiosity, it was a mystery to be solved at a later time.

Again I locked my sights on the western castle and gave a hard push of my wings to propel me towards my destination. For every mile I covered I could feel Sesshomaru's beast calling out stronger and stronger, only for me to realize not only was I getting closer to him but he was also heading towards me. This only served to excite my beast, and myself, further as I pushed past my limits. Once again somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that I would feel this later on, but for now it was a very distant, very small thought.

As I traveled I was vaguely aware of other demons flaring their aura towards me, obviously within range to know I was in heat, but too far away to realize I was mated. I could even feel some making a move to come towards me. Thankfully I didn't have to worry about confrontation because Sesshomaru's aura seemed to blanket the landscape in a warning that promised great pain and death to any stupid enough to come near.

When I was within a few miles of Sesshomaru I could see him, in his true form, charging my way with a look of complete determination on his face. I had a fleeting thought to stop at let my mate come to me, but a pull drove me to continue. Instinctually I felt the need to make him chase me.

It only took a few more minutes before Sesshomaru and I made it to each other. I slowed down just enough to make him think I was going to stop and he slowed down in response. I gave a bit of a shift one direction and then took off to the other direction, transforming into my larger form and descending to run across the land as I did. I could feel him stopping and confusion momentarily passing through him before a darker, more feral part of him seemed to accept the challenge of a chase.

Behind my heavy steps I could hear his echoing louder. His slightly larger size meant that he covered a mile with each step while I only covered about three quarters of a mile with each of my steps. Thankfully my legs moved faster than his to keep me just out of his reach. Any time he got too close I would let loose a bit of elemental burst to either stun or slow him down. He would give a warning growl laced in amusement as he continued to chase.

**~Sesshomaru~**

The centuries of meticulous training to be a reserved, regal lord came down to nothing within a few moments, from the time my beast was released and Kazuko came into my sight.

That is not right. My shields and mask have been fading ever since she, quite literally, crashed into my life. From the moment I watched her slam into my younger brother, apparently a source of great amusement for her, I had been intrigued by her and over the past several years it has morphed into a feeling humans would inaccurately describe as love.

My feelings, the bonding I have with Kazuko, is a much stronger feeling than any human could ever understand. For the first time in my life, I understand what my father meant by having someone to protect. Without having to think about it, I know I would sacrifice my life for hers. If this is what my father had felt those decades ago, then I do not fault him entirely. It is not his fault that his beast chose to bond with an inferior being.

Kazuko weaved around me as I slowed to greet her. I could not tell what she was thinking as she took off and transformed into her larger true form as she did. I did not have to contemplate on it long as her passing sent a gust laced heavily with her heated scent in my direction. For a few seconds I savored the scent before I turned and took chase of her. I was more than willing to oblige her in a chase.

**{(Change of POV – 3****rd**** Person)}**

Whether Kazuko maintained her lead until the two reached the castle because of her own ability to keep her mate at bay or because Sesshomaru allowed her to, is a question whose answer was solely dependent on whom the question was posed to.

Regardless, the Ryu-Inu managed to stay ahead of the dog demon until she was within a half mile of the castle. Not wanting to demolish the building, she had no choice but to transform back into her humanoid form so that she could enter the castle.

The guards seemed cautious of her, drawing their weapons as she approached. Had she been in a proper state of mind she would have found that odd and a bit annoying, but she knew it had been a while since they had last seen her so it wasn't hard to imagine they may have forgotten who she was.

"Halt! State your business in the west-…" The lizard demon guard's sentence trained off as he saw Sesshomaru, in his true form, emerge from the forest behind the demoness that was heading straight for the castle's gate.

The dog demon lord changed back to his humanoid form when he was a hair's breath away from his mate, though his eyes stayed the same red and his markings were ragged. His mokomoko shot out and wrapped itself around Kazuko's waist and chest, keeping her from continuing further even as she tried to pull herself out of its grasp.

The guards held back a gasp of surprise at their lord's more than unusual behavior, but knew better than to question it.

"Guard." The lizard flinched as he brought his gaze up to meet the feral red eyes of the western lord. "You are to inform the castle that we are to not be disturbed. If anyone is caught on our private floor, they will be killed." The dog demon said with a lethal tone that suggested that his words were not for show.

"Of course my lord." The lizard said with a bow. Before he rose again the two were gone.

Sesshomaru had scooped up his struggling mate once he finished with the guard. The contact sent an instant spark between both of their bodies earning throaty growl from him and a badly concealed moan from her.

He had a thought to take her there, in the castle courtyard, but thankfully some semblance of reason remained intact and he forced himself to take her around to the side of the castle. There he jumped onto their balcony and entered their room. As soon as his feet landed, Kazuko tried to bolt from his grasp. She succeeded in getting out of his arm, but she didn't make it far as his mokomoko was still wrapped firmly around her waist.

He watched her with a predatory satisfaction of a hunter that had captured a highly prized prey. She would wear herself out and then he would be ready to pounce. Despite his raging urge to mate, he could keep himself together for a little bit longer for the sake of the game, or so he thought.

She was quick to turn the tables on him. Her struggling stopped and she moved quickly so that she was now standing with her arms around his neck and her chest against his. She moved with a purpose, trapping his heavy arousal against her stomach and his own, earning a sharp growl to rise from the dog demon. Small claws worked their way up his shirt until they were at the collar and then proceeded to rip downward through the fabric. In short work his chest and stomach became exposed through the torn clothing.

He felt a small trail of wetness trailing up his stomach and chest. His eyes looked down to see her tongue causing the trail and a glint of fang showed in the setting sun. He stayed still as violet eyes surrounded in pools of red met his red eyes. It wasn't until he felt the sharp nip of her fangs at his mating market that he snapped back into action.

His arms quickly snaked their way around her waist and lifted so that she was no longer craning her neck up but now down to meet his gaze. Her legs found his waist and latched on keeping her hovering just above his straining arousal. He could feel her tail swaying just slightly creating a deliciously evil tease across his need.

Though the fur covered bed wasn't more than a few steps away, his desire was too great to wait. He turned her so that he held her against the wall next to their balcony. Her clothes annoyed him because they denied him access to her soft, sweet flesh that he craved. He made quick work of the clothes, the shreds of what was left floating to the ground, a few even being carried out and over the balcony by the wind. Her hands went to remove his armor and remaining clothes, but he beat her to it. He ripped his clothing from his body and tossed aside his armor and swords, the sound being a soft metallic 'thunk' as they landed somewhere in the room.

His neck dipped so that he could nuzzle his mating mark on her neck and let his fangs graze over the flesh. He switched his grip so that one arm was keeping her up and against him, while he moved his other to the base of her tail and began working downward.

He was cut off by a growl, causing him to look up from her neck to see what had caused her to growl. Her eyes went from him to the bed in a clear sign. He reluctantly let her slide from his grip and followed her to the bed, so close on her that he could have easily been mistaken for her shadow. His eyes locked on the sway of her hips and he knew that he had to get inside of her soon or he was going to go insane.

She stopped and pulled him against her again, before pushing him down onto the bed. The force was not much but he allowed himself to be pushed down and watched as she climbed on top of him. Her thighs caught his left leg and as he made to sit up she placed a hand on his stomach and pushed signaling for him to stay down. He gave a questioning growl, and was answered with a moist warmness engulfing the head of his arousal, causing his head to kick back and a sharp hiss to escape between tightly clenched fangs. Her weight on his leg was the only think that kept him from kicking it up as he felt more of his length slide in. Her fangs provided a dangerously arousing pressure as he let out a hoarse moan. He reached a hand through her violet hair, and let the strands flow through the gaps between his fingers.

He began pushing his hips upward as he felt his release building but was prevented from moving much as her weight stayed on his leg and her hands pressed against his waist. But that didn't stop his release from swelling his member to a greater girth. His breathing became harsh and quick. Just as he was letting himself go to his release the feelings stopped with him on the edge and him unable to take the dive.

His eyes, which he hadn't realized he had closed until he opened them, snapped wide as he felt coldness from the lack of contact. He had to search for a few seconds before his eyes locked on his mate who was staring at him from the other end of the large bed.

Her eyes held mischief and lust as she watched him sit up. He looked confused until he watched her turn around. She lowered herself so that she was on her hands and knees and then proceeded to stretch out her arms so that her back dipped and her tail flicked to lie against her spine. His beast gave a rumble that vibrated through his body and bed as he watched her expose and offer herself to him in the most intimate way dog demons could.

He stalked across the bed so that he was directly behind her and pushed his erection against her warm and moist lower lips. She pushed back with a moan and her aura spiked in anticipation. The penetration was swift and strong. If her mouth had been silk, this was velvet. He hilted and they shared a shudder as their bodies were connected. He pulled out until half of him was still in and pushed back with force similar to his initial thrust. He fought to keep his release at bay as he pumped into his mate, his aura swirling around them and mingling with hers.

Her release racked through her body and he felt her clamp down on his penetrating arousal, sending him off the edge and into a release so strong that his vision was momentarily robbed from him as he continued to thrust into the tight depths that were milking him for all that he had. His aura shook the walls as he growled and dipped his head to sink his teeth into her mating mark, which only served to send her into yet another shattering release.

They collapsed in a heap of sweat, skin and hair. He rolled to his side so not to crush her under his weight. She turned so that she could lie against his chest. The sounds of their hard breathing filled the otherwise silent room.

It only took a few minutes before his re-hardened member was pressing into her stomach again and she gave a playful growl signaling she was ready to go again.

**{(Back to 1****st****)}**

**~Kazuko~**

I woke up sore.

Thankfully it wasn't the my-body-is-in-pain-from-relentless-training soreness that I had gotten accustomed to over the past ten years. Instead this soreness was pleasant and localized to certain areas. I cracked open an eye to see where I was somewhat expecting to still be at the Shogakko training grounds. Images of my mated room came to me as I looked around. It would appear I was back at the western castle.

I felt the soft furs covering my naked body and could feel Sesshomaru behind me and his arm draped over my waist. Satisfied with my knowledge I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

"I know you're awake." Sesshomaru's voice rumbled in my ear and I shivered slightly but tried to remain otherwise still. Maybe if I pretended to be asleep he would let me sleep. "Kazuko." He said with a knowing tone. So it would appear he was not going to fall for sleeping routine.

"Yes?" I asked innocently.

"There are things that must be done." He said propping himself on the arm that wasn't around my waist.

"I'm sure they can be done tomorrow." I said pulling the furs close against my body so that I could stay warm.

"You have been asleep for nearly a quarter moon." He responded.

"Have I?" I questioned as I opened my eyes and looked around as if somehow that would confirm or deny what he had said.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked turning to face him.

"You would not wake. I sensed you were okay so I allowed you to sleep." He answered. "It is not unheard of for some demonesses to sleep throughout the remainder of their heat after an initial mating." He said and I got the feeling there was more to it but he wasn't going to share it. By now I knew better than to press him on it, he would tell me when he felt it was necessary.

"Did you stay here the entire time?" I questioned.

"Yes."

"You didn't have to." I said forcing myself to sit up. "So what are these things that need to be done?" I asked capping my words off with a wide yawn and stretch.

"The council meeting is in a half-moon and must be prepared for." He stated and I groaned.

"I've only been to one and I already hate it." I grumbled. He gave something akin to a chuckle before he continued.

"There have been many new developments since your departure that you will need to be caught up with." He said and then continued as if he were talking about the weather. "It would appear my brother has spawned a young."

"Kagome and Inuyasha had a child?!" I shouted at him and he gave a slight movement that might have been a flinch at the near scream. "Why didn't anyone tell me? I have to see them! Is it a boy or a girl? Is it only one? I can't believe Kagome's had a child, but she's like twenty something now. Oh! What about Sango and Miroku? And Rin, she has to be a young woman by now." I began to ramble on about how much I wanted to go see the others. I was only cut off as my stomach let out a low whine that grew into a rumbling growl. "But first I need food." I said getting up and walking over to a layout of clothing and selected something to wear.

I settled on white pants that fit tightly against my skin and a white long sleeve shirt that was also form-fitting. Over them I put on a sky blue kimono that stopped just below my knees and was sleeveless, it had four yellow slashes across the back.

I looked over my shoulder at the sound of rustling and saw Sesshomaru slipping into his usual clothing leaving off his armor and swords, signaling he had no intentions of leaving the castle today.

"Mid-day meal will be served shortly." He said. "I have to meet with some clan leaders who have issues they want addressed at the council meeting."

"Do I need to be there?" I asked, hoping I didn't and gave a sign of relief when he shook his head. "Good, once I finish eating I'm going to go see Ryo, Katina and the others in the village. I would ask if you've met the new members, but I'm pretty sure I know the answer to that."

"Be back by dusk meal." Sesshomaru said and I glared over my shoulder at him. "We have a meeting to prepare for." He said ignoring my glare.

"Fine." I grumbled as I grabbed my staff and sword. "I'll see you later." I said heading for the sliding door. I was stopped before I could reach my hand out.

Sesshomaru grabbed for my arm and spun me around so that I was facing him. His lips descended on mine in a soft and quick kiss. "I'll see you tonight mate." He growled in a possessive way before disappearing out the door.

I watched him go until he was out of sight before following. Trying to focus past the rumbling and growling my stomach was doing as if two starved dogs were fighting it out in my stomach, proved too hard so that I was practically jogging. My thoughts strayed as I went towards the dining hall bouncing around randomly but ultimately they ended up on my friends. I was excited to see everyone and couldn't believe Inuyasha and Kagome were now a couple, let alone had a child. Abruptly a thought came to mind, that made me pause.

'_I wonder if I'll have a child with Sesshomaru.'_


	37. What I Fight For

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**So I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

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><p><strong>~What I Fight For~<strong>

"That was as awful as I expected it to be." I grumbled as I walked through the northern lands heading back to the west. "Wait no…it was worse."

"You're such a storm cloud." Katina said to me with a shake of her head and a frown. "But you're right. I would imagine that couldn't have been any worse. Can you believe Toro actually brought Naraku as his advisor? What could he be thinking? Surely everyone in there could feel the evil radiating. Talk about confidence."

"Remember when we were slaves of the east, we had never heard of Naraku until Kazuko brought us to the west." Ryo noted. "I wouldn't be surprised if no one else knows about Naraku's exploits outside of those in the west. It would appear everyone else's surprise came from the fact that he is a half-demon. Regardless, I think it's time we prepared for this war."

"Toro and Naraku said they held no hard feelings towards us anymore and they were focused on enriching their lands." Katina pointed out.

"I don't trust them as far as I can throw them. It's a disguise. They can't just show up and declare war against us, especially in front of Duma." I responded. "Ryo is right though; we need to prepare to send the first attack."

Sesshomaru who had been silent as we walked glanced over his shoulder for a brief second before turning back to leading the way. "We must tread carefully."

The four of us fell silent as we looked to the dog demon expecting him to further explain. When he didn't we gave confused looks at each other.

"Want to elaborate? Or are we supposed to read your mind." Ryo said with slightly narrowed eyes and an agitated tone. The demon lord continued walking without a word and Ryo gave an annoyed growl.

I suddenly felt five sets of eyes on me. Looking around Shippo, Ryo, Katina, Masaru and Sage were all looking at me. Katina was the only one that cut her eyes towards Sesshomaru before looking back at me. I gave a sigh as I got the hint.

"Is there is something that we should know before we start our plans?" I called to Sesshomaru. His silence was expected and I gave it another shot. "We're already going into this practically blind, any light would be helpful."

Sesshomaru gave another brief glance over his shoulder, his golden eyes narrowed as he looked at me. I gave a shrug. If he wasn't so much of an antisocial I wouldn't have had to be turned into a go between. I was as annoyed at having to ask the question as he was at me having asked the question.

"Not until we reach the castle." The dog demon said his voice emotionless as usual.

"Happy?" I asked of the five who had been staring at me and said it loud enough so Sesshomaru could hear as well.

"Not particularly." Ryo huffed back and Katina rolled her eyes, Shippo gave a sigh as if he was used to the squabbles.

"You guys are almost as bad as Inuyasha and the others." Shippo said.

"If we weren't related, I would beat you." I said to Ryo with a shake of my head. "Hell I might just to feel better."

"You wouldn't land a punch." Ryo said with a smirk.

"Oh, so now you're all cocky because you got some training from the Ryu-Okami." I said with a snort. "Don't forget I've been training too."

"Not cocky, confident. I would be more than willing to show you why." Ryo responded with a glare.

'Will you be coming to the village Lady Kazuko?' Sage asked sensing a fight building and trying to defuse the situation. 'I believe everyone is excited to see you, and the staff you requested Totosai make is there.'

"Yea I'll come with you guys to the village before I head back to the castle." I responded and immediately felt Sesshomaru's unease at it. "You're welcome to come too." I called to him only to receive an 'Hn', in response.

"Remind us why you mated him?" Ryo leaned over and whispered into my ear. I'm pretty sure that he knew Sesshomaru could still hear him.

"Why, because you're such an ideal mate?" I said with a shake of my head and a small smile.

"Yes he is." Katrina chimed in with a smile. Ryo smiled and looked away, the red tint on his cheeks making me smile lightly.

We walked on in silence until we neared the Ryu-Inu village.

"So you coming with us or not?" I asked Sesshomaru as Ryo, Katina, Shippo, Sage and Masaru stopped.

"No." Sesshomaru answered and continued walking in the direction of the castle.

"Well that's surprising." Ryo said with sarcasm lacing every syllable.

"The four of you are to return to the western castle when you are finished." Sesshomaru said.

I hit Ryo in the side with my elbow and glared at him to keep his mouth shut as Sesshomaru continued walking in the direction of the castle.

"Four? There are five of us." Katina wondered aloud.

"Shippo is too young for this so I don't think Sesshomaru was counting him." I said.

"Your mate is an ass." Ryo said as we resumed walking towards the Ryu-Inu village.

"So are you." I retorted.

"Yea, but I'm family." He said.

"So is he." I added with a smile.

"I'm family by blood." Ryo said with a smirk.

"Touché."

"What does that mean?" Shippo asked.

"It's just a saying where I come from. It means that he's made a good point or something like that." I said with a shrug. "Sage did you find the information I asked for?" I questioned.

'I'm not sure mi'lady. I found a lot of information centered on what you asked for, but since you did not go into detail about what to search for I'm not sure I found exactly what you wanted.' Sage said looking up at me briefly before training his eyes back on our path.

"I'm sure you did well." I reassured.

'If you do not mind my inquisition, what is it that you are searching for exactly?' The guardian mage asked.

"I'll let you know when we get to the castle." I said ignoring the stares directed at me. "I don't have to tell you guys everything." I reminded them in a voice that was sharper than I had intended it to be.

Uneasy silence descended on us like a dense fog, clogging the air uncomfortably until we reached the outer boundary of the village. We were met by Bear and Storm, who were sitting guard on either side of the village's main entrance.

'Lady Kazuko.' The said in unison and dipped their heads.

"It's good to see you both." I said going up to each and giving them each a hug around the neck.

'Where is everyone?' Masaru questioned as we noticed a lack of presence in the village.

'Dagger has taken all of the trainees on a hunting lesson.' Storm barked.

'And Leaf has taken all of the mages and young ones to search for herbs.' Bear added.

'Well go get everyone for a clan meeting and be quick about it.' Masaru instructed. Bear and Storm nodded and took off in different directions, Bear running and Storm flying.

"Where are we going to do this?" I asked looking around the village and feeling a bit unnerved at how foreign the place seemed to me. I had been born here and yet I felt like a complete stranger as we walked through. I had always expected that when I returned here, that I would feel a warm sense of reunion or something akin to it. Yet all I felt was a sense of discomforting emptiness.

I could see the recognition on Ryo, Katina and even Shippo's faces, but not a single thing here screamed home for me. I must have shown me feelings because I felt fur brush against my side and looked to see Sage walking beside me.

'Fret not.' He growled reassuringly. 'You were born only a few months before the attack. And even in those months your mother only brought you out of the castle once, for the introduction ceremony.'

"Thanks." I murmured running a hand through his white fur.

'The meetings were typically held in the training area since it was the only place large enough to hold everyone and it is situated in a pit so that the speaker can be seen at the edge of the pit. But since there are so few of us, I'm sure we would all fit in the center of the village in front of the leader's castle. It's on a hill so that will provide good way for everyone to see you.' Masaru said steering us towards the center of the village.

"Ok." I said only half aware of what the guardian leader was saying to me. I was still looking around the village and trying to find something, anything that would help me feel like I belonged here.

"Shippo, how about you go check the training area. I'm sure Dagger probably took them there, so let them know where we are going to have the meeting." Ryo said earning a nod from Shippo before the fox demon hopped off to do as he was told. I was momentarily distracted watching the way Ryo seemed at ease giving out orders and I couldn't help but smile at his confidence.

'This was the only thing in the village that hadn't been completely destroyed or heavily damaged.' Sage's bark snapped me out of my inner thoughts as we came to a stop in front of the largest structure in the village.

As I looked at the leader's castle I could see why. While all the other huts were made of wood, this was a stone fortress that had what looked like iron on the doors and windows. 'I'd like to show you something before the others arrive. If you would follow me, Lady Kazuko.'

"Lead the way." I said in a daze, not able to take my eyes off the castle.

Sage took of a few steps and even though I saw him going, I stayed rooted just staring up at the castle. When I didn't begin following Sage's maw closed gently around my left wrist and he tugged gently to get me to follow. He led me through the front doors and up a set of aged stairs. It took me a moment to realize he had stopped as I was confronted with the view of a closed sliding door. I looked down to see Sage's eyes on me shinning with a gentle understanding.

"What is it that you wanted to show me?" I asked quietly.

'This room.' Sage said and nudged the door open. He allowed me to walk in first before I heard his soft paws following behind me.

The moment I stepped into the room I was hit with a rush so strong that it knocked my breath out of me and made my knees give out. Thankfully Sage was right behind me and the guardian helped ease me down so that I was sitting, leaning against him.

The room held a cot with two furs on it, a brown one and a white one. There was a standing bureau and I could imagine the fine kimonos that had once been in it. The room was plain but beautiful in a simple way. Yet the one thing that caught my attention was across the rom. On the far wall was a circle of large stones that was covered in furs creating a bowl-like shape.

"This is…" I trailed off looking at a room that was perfectly preserved, as if its' inhabitants had merely stepped out for a bit of fresh air and would return at any moment.

'It is the place where your father and mother lived and where you were born.' Sage finished for me.

I didn't realize I was crying until one of the tears hit the back of my hand. In a haze I brought my hand up and felt the wetness staining my cheeks. I don't know how long I stayed there crying, watching the tears hit my palm, but somewhere in that time I felt my emotions shift.

Slowly I stood and made my way to the stone and fur crib that I had once lain in.

My sadness turned to anger.

My sense of being lost turned into fury.

My desire to belong turned into a desire to avenge.

Things shouldn't have been like this.

I should have known this room.

I should have grown up here, retiring to this room every night with my parents until I was old enough to have a room of my own. I should have been learning how to be a proper Shogakko the normal way going to train during the day and returning to this castle at night, not trying to learn it all in some ten year crash course. I should have been friends with not just Ryo and Katina but with all of the Ryu-Inus my age and everyone else in the village. I should have been learning how to become the next leader of the clan, not just thrust immaturely into the position because no

one else was left to.

My life would have been different.

My life should have been different.

My life was taken from me.

There was one person responsible for this.

"Toro." I said my voice dripping with venom as I felt my inner demon thrashing within its confines, hungering to come out and find the eastern lord and take him down.

Sensing my feelings, Sage came up beside me.

'Calm yourself Lady Kazuko.' He growled. 'Toro will be brought down, but if you go running after him now it will only end in your own destruction. I understand your feelings but let us not make this past decade have been for naught.'

I closed my eyes and knew that he was right. Besides I was not the only one who wanted Toro taken down and it would be unfair to rob the others of the chance to also avenge the honor and lives of their clan.

As I opened my eyes I headed back for the door, Sage right behind me. Once outside I looked around the room one last time and felt the last bits of doubt I felt about the upcoming battle dissipate.

This is what I was fighting for.

"Let's go." I said to Sage and closed the door. "We have a war to prepare for."


	38. Preparations

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**Guess y'all didn't much like the last chapter. I know it was a bit slow and lacking of any major action, but it was necessary. Thanks for those who did review anyway.**

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**I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

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><p><strong>~Preparations~<strong>

"We cannot attack the east first." Sesshomaru said his eyes refusing to look anywhere but mine.

He, I, Ryo, Katina, Shippo, Sage, Masaru, Izu and Daiko, the western general, were sitting in the dining hall, since it was the only place that had space large enough to seat us all comfortably.

Several maps of Japan, the four lands, and the eastern part of the mainland were placed between us on the table along with a number of scrolls. Sesshomaru was sitting at the head of the table, Izu to his right and Daiko to the left. I was seated at the opposite end with Sage to my right and Masaru to my left. Shippo was seated between Masaru and Izu. Ryo and Katina were seated between Daiko and Sage.

"Why not?" I asked leaning against Sage, my head and shoulder against his flank. Since we had left the Ryu-Inu castle I hadn't broken contact with the head guardian mage. "The east didn't seem to have a problem with doing it to us."

"They had a reason." Sesshomaru responded.

"Like hell they did. They slaugh…" Ryo started but I interrupted him.

"Shut up, Ryo." I said my voice quiet yet still audible. "Explain please Sesshomaru."

"When the east attacked it was because the Ryu-Inu clan and western lands had gone back on their agreement that the next born Shogakko would become property of the east. By law they had the right to attack." Sesshomaru said his voice even as if Ryo hadn't spoken.

"So technically speaking, they never did anything wrong." I said out loud. "We have no grounds to launch an attack. If we attack first, we'll look like the ones in the wrong."

'The south has already made a war alliance with the east. Even though they've negated it, I'm willing to bet if they were to join the war, it would be on Toro's side.' Masaru mentioned.

"We have the north though, don't we?" Katina said.

"We're going into this war alone." Daiko mentioned. "The east has done nothing to the north to warrant an attack from the foxes, and we do not have a current war alliance. Asking them to join in our attack would bring the south in on the east's side putting the whole of Japan into the largest war it has ever seen. With the continent forces already aligned with Toro this war has already expanded beyond normal boundaries."

"There is also the fact that if we ask the north to join in they will want something in return, regardless if we win or lose." Izu mumbled as he was still looking over some of the scrolls. "As of now there isn't anything we have that the north would want other than land, and we don't have that to give away."

"The west has the largest expanse of land. What do you mean you don't have it to give away?" Ryo snorted. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as he leveled my cousin with a glare.

"I think he means Lord Sesshomaru isn't going to give away the land he's taken centuries to obtain." Katina said, putting a hand on Ryo's upper arm.

"This means we will be outnumbered severely." I said. "We need to come up with a plan. I assume you have one in mind Daiko." I added seeing the general staring at the maps.

"It's only temporary and very conditional, but yes I have general idea for a plan of action." Daiko said and looked towards Sesshomaru, who gave him a light nod. "We have to prepare for an attack from both our front and our back."

"Why's that?" I asked.

'Somehow Naraku and Toro got an entire army from the continent to their land. We're between the two, so we must assume that there is another group waiting to attack us from the other direction.' Masaru answered.

"Exactly. So we cannot send all of our forces eastward into the initial attack or if we do we need a way for them to quickly get back to the coast." Daiko said pointing to the map. "The fastest way from the eastern border to the coast, for those who can't fly, would be through the mountains. It would take too long to go around them, but even so it would take a full unit at least six days to make it, assuming they don't stop to rest but a few hours during the trip."

"How many total forces do we have between the western army and any allied clans?" Ryo asked.

"About three hundred scores total. The western army consists of just fewer than one hundred scores, and every clan within the western lands is allied to Lord Sesshomaru." Daiko said.

"Do we know how many forces the east has?" I asked.

"Our last report stated around nine hundred scores." Izu answered.

"They have us in numbers at least three to one, not including any other hidden allies they may have." Ryo stated with a shake of his head.

"I cannot speak for the rest of Naraku's forces, but Toro's army is fierce. They lack the discipline that we have, but they fight for Toro and have no boundaries or honor when engaging in battle." Daiko looked over the maps as he spoke and pushed the largest map of Japan into the direct center. "There is a hawk clan that lives in the mountains, as well as a wolf clan at the base of the mountains."

"You will send two scores of soldiers to the mountains along with Captain Fu. They will stay in the mountians during the initial attack. If another force arrives from the coast, they will make haste to defend. If not, word will be sent for them to come to the main battle." Sesshomaru cut in. "Send two more scores with Captain Jo to the coast to meet up with the sea demons to provide defense for the coast."

"As you wish Lord Sesshomaru." Daiko said with a dip of his head. "Those are all the forces we can spare away from the main battle." He said with a sigh. "So let us begin forming our main plan of attack."

"Wait don't we want at least a score of soldiers to protect the castle?" Ryo said. "I wouldn't put it past Toro and Naraku to try and get in here."

"Yes, I must have overlooked that." Daiko said not having to look up to know Sesshomaru's eyes were looking at him with the slightest hint of disapproval. "I'll have another two scores of soldiers on standby here at the castle."

"This is a really wide spread of soldiers." Shippo said quietly gaining everyone's attention. "How are we going to get information between them all?"

"We'll have a group of carriers responsible for getting information around." Izu responded. "There are a few trained ravens but they aren't as fast…"

"I want Shippo and Swift in charge of that." I cut off Izu. "Sorry to interrupt, but it's the best choice. Ravens aren't as fast as demons are and we're going to need to spread any information as fast as possible. Plus we have a group of younger demons too young to be able to fight, but able to defend themselves while passing along information. Ryo how many of the former orphans are doing battle training?"

"Seven, but Izo is ready to go into battle." Ryo answered.

"So that makes six plus Shippo and Swift." I said thoughtfully. "Masaru tell Swift to pick six other guardians. Each guardian will be paired with a trainee and they will be the ones responsible for getting information through the battle. They are to stay in their pairs at all times unless it is an emergency."

'I'll let Swift know.' Masaru said with a dip of his head.

"You fine with that Shippo?" I asked to the kit whose eyes were stretched wide. "It is a big responsibility but I know you can handle it."

"I won't let you down." He finally said after shaking his head, puffing his chest a bit and placing his fist over his heart in a salute.

"That settles communication. Let's talk about healers." Ryo said. "I don't know about your army, but for us Katina is the best healer we have right now. So I'll accompany here through the field."

"No." Sesshomaru said calmly.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Ryo growled.

Sesshomaru moved fast, giving a flick of his wrist sending his whip towards Katina. Ryo answered by throwing his body in the way of the attack, the whip cutting him across the arm. Katina, Shippo and I all gave out gasp as our eyes went from Ryo to Sesshomaru.

"What the hell is your problem?" Ryo growled.

I was too shocked to say anything but inwardly I was thinking the same thing.

"Why did you throw yourself in front of her?" Sesshomaru asked ignoring Ryo's tone of voice.

"Because you attacked her!"

"Why didn't you use your weapon to deflect the attack?"

"I…"

"Why did you not use your elements to stop the attack?"

"I blanked?"

"You are unfit to be with her in battle." Sesshomaru said and I was starting to get where he was going with this, unfortunately it appeared Ryo did not.

"How dare you? I can protect my mate just fine." Ryo snarled.

"Lord Sesshomaru does not mean to imply that you lack the ability to protect her. You are a bonded male and thus when she is under attack you will not think rationally, but instead instinctually. You will do what is needed to protect her even at the risk of unnecessary harm befalling yourself." Izu spoke up. Ryo looked ready to argue so I stepped in.

"Besides Katina is going to be healing those who are too injured to continue. We need you fighting, not just defending her." I reasoned. There was still a bit of defiance in his eyes and I sighed. "Don't make me order it. I don't want to, but I will if I have to." Ryo let out a huff of frustration but nodded.

"Fine, but I want guards with her." Ryo conceded.

'I will be with the Lady Katina, as well as Leaf. We will also ask Blaze and Thorn to be with us, they know some of the basic herbs that we will need and are excellent fighters.' Sage said dipping his head in Ryo's direction. 'We will protect her with our lives.'

"What about you Kazuko?" Ryo asked with a smug look at how Sesshomaru tensed ever so slightly. "Obviously Sesshomaru can't be with you, and I don't want you out there alone."

I inwardly groaned as I had already come up with an idea, but didn't want to bring it up just yet. Sensing Sesshomaru still looking at me along with the others, I sighed. "I was actually going to Kaede's village after this and I was going to ask Inuyasha and Kilala for their assistance. Both want Naraku dead, and I'm going after Toro. I'm willing to bet those two will be near each other."

"What of the others?" Katina asked.

"They're older now." I said with a sad sigh. "They are human and we must remember that age affects them. Plus they now have children."

"You think Inuyasha can protect you?" Sesshomaru's voice was somewhere between civilized and snarling.

"I think I can protect myself." I pointed out. "I simply think that since Inuyasha and I are going after the same thing, why not work together? Plus you know as well as I do that even if we do not bring Inuyasha he will come on his own. We might as well include him so he doesn't mess things with his slash first, think second routine."

The silence from the demon lord was the closest thing to his consent that I was going to get.

'How do you suggest we divide up the remaining forces Daiko?' Masaru barked in the tense silence.

The western general glanced towards Sesshomaru, as if not wanting to risk the dog demon's wrath by speaking up while his lord was obviously in a foul mood. To his credit, he did clear his throat and respond. "I suggest we split the remaining forces into three, led by Lord Sesshomaru, Ryo and myself. Two will function as primary attack forces and the other will function as a Calvary."

"I want Ryo leading the Calvary." I spoke up noticing Katina's unease. Ryo turned his eyes sharply to me as if he were going to argue, but when I motioned to Katina's expression he softened and nodded.

"Ok." Ryo said, earning a quiet sigh of relief from his mate.

"They're going to try and divide us up, and we're going to attempt the same against them. As soon as they attack, Lord Sesshomaru's unit will drive up their middle and begin pushing half of their soldiers towards Inuyasha's Forest, where my unit will be waiting to ambush them. Ryo you are to bring your forces down and keep the other half of the east's army from following Lord Sesshomaru's unit. Once my unit strikes, Lord Sesshomaru's unit will come back to meet up with yours, then you will bring your unit to help mine. This way we can confuse them, and keep them from getting a solid grasp on how many are attacking them and from where." Daiko explained drawing out his plan on the largest map provided.

"This is a strategically sound plan." I complimented.

"Thank you Lady Kazuko." The general said with a bit of a sputter, as if he were unused to being praised.

"We can have the Ryu-Inu village set up as the healing station." Katina said. "It's close to the border without being too close. Plus we have a lot of healing supplies stocked there and can get more in within the next couple of days. With the guardians doing most of the transport it will help to have somewhere they could get to with their eyes closed. And it provides a place for the five training mages to stay out of the battle and still help."

"She makes a very good point." Daiko said though he still looked to the western lord.

"So be it." Sesshomaru said flatly.

"That's everything." Daiko said. "So now we wait. I'll get the western army geared and ready to go at a moment's notice."

"I'll send messengers out to our allies about the plans." Izu said already beginning to write messages within some of the gathered scrolls.

"We'll tell the village and get it ready." Ryo said nodding towards Katina. "I want you to leave Izu with a list of healing supplies you think you'll need, and we'll work on getting them to the village."

"I'll head over to Kaede's village and tell Inuyasha and Kilala." I said standing and giving a small stretch, the stiffness of my body telling me more than any clock that I had been sitting there for a while.

'It's already dusk. Perhaps you would like to wait until tomorrow?' Sage suggested.

I looked around in surprise realizing that he was right. The small amount of light still left outside was being made up by the large amount of candles that where lit in various places around the room.

"Then tomorrow it is." I said.

'If it would not offend, I would like to accompany you.' Sage said with a dip of his head.

"Not at all, I'll enjoy the company." I answered. "You are welcome to stay the night."

Ryo, Katina, and Masaru gave quick good-byes and left for the Ryu-Inu village. Daiko excused himself with a bow, heading towards the soldier's quarters. Izu and Sesshomaru headed out quietly speaking about which messengers to send, and where to send them.

"Guess it's just you and me." I said with a shrug. "Hungry? I am."

'A meal would be refreshing.' Sage barked.

Before I could make a step to find someone to help, the head chef, a small but round bat demon was standing before me. He was no taller than a ten year old human child, but his glowing blue eyes and fangs that protruded out of his mouth by a considerable amount showed that he was not to be toyed with. Still he had an overall cheery demeanor about him.

I took a step back in surprise, but quickly shook it off. The bat demon had hearing so acute that made even mine seem dull, so he had no doubt heard us.

"I shall have a meal made for the two of you shortly." He said with a sweep of his silver apron and a low bow. "Will you be receiving in here?"

"This room is too big for just the two of us. How about we take dinner in the garden?" I suggested.

"As you wish milady." The bat demon said with another bow before disappearing as quickly as quietly as he had come.

"Let's get going before he reappears and gives me a heart attack." I said with a small smile and headed for the door. A few more doors and we were in the garden with two soldiers standing guard at either side of it.

I took a seat at the edge of the small pond in the center, letting my feet dangle in. The fish initially scattered, but eventually came back as their curiosity got the better of them. Sage sat beside me resting his head at the end of the pond, the tip of one of his paws in the water. We sat in comfortable silence until the food was brought out. Once the bat demon had left, Sage sat up and shook off his wet paw.

'Lady Kazuko, if you would not mind, I would like to speak with you in private.' He said motioning towards the guards.

"Sure." I said then looked at the guards. "Can you give us a few minutes?" They looked at each other in an unsure manner. "It's an order. Don't worry if we find ourselves in trouble we will let you know." The seemed to take some comfort in that and with a bow both left. I felt no need to prompt Sage, knowing he would speak when he wanted to, instead I began to eat.

'This past mating season, you and Lord Sesshomaru engaged in mating, correct?' Sage said after he had a few bites of his own meal.

"Well yes." I said with a small blush, keeping my eyes on my food.

'Did you notice anything different?' He asked, I could feel his eyes on me but I didn't want to meet his gaze.

"Not really. I got really tired, but that was from all the training." I mumbled. "Why do you ask?"

'I have picked up on your change in scent.' He said. 'You're pregnant Kazuko.' This time his whine was soft as if he were trying to ease the words on me.

"What?" I said, my head coming straight up and my eyes locking on his. "What did you say?"

'You are with pup.' Sage repeated, brushing against my arm, sensing the shock running through me.

"How do you know, I mean how can you tell so quickly? I can't be more than a few weeks along." I said, hoping he would give some sort of 'well it's not a hundred percent sure' speech.

'I have the ability to sense immediately when any female Ryu-Inu is pregnant.' He said.

"You've never been wrong before have you?" I asked, knowing the answer.

'I'm sorry, but no.' He responded.

"Why are you telling me this?" I could tell my body was shaking, but not because I could feel it. No I had gone numb throughout. I could tell I was shaking because as I looked down at my feet, I could see vibrations racing through my body, scarring away the fish.

'So that you are aware and careful, you must be extremely careful.' Sage said.

"Yea, being pregnant would warrant that." I said.

'But you must be extra careful.' Sage growled as if there was something I was missing.

"Oh you mean because it's Sesshomaru's child and the heir to the western lands." I guessed. Apparently I was wrong.

'No, well yes that is another reason to be careful, but that is not what I mean.' Sage said and when I gave him a confused look he sighed and added. 'It is a well-known fact that the children of Shogakkos are very powerful, while they are born with the ability to control only one element they are able to control their single element with the same strength as a Shogakko.'

"Ok, but I'm going to be honest with you, I don't see where you're going with this." I answered.

'A clan could become unbelievably powerful if they were to continuously have their Shogakko giving birth, to such powerful pups. So there was a condition put into place by the kamis on the first four Shogakkos and all Shogakkos to come after them.'

"What is this condition?"

'Once a Shogakko male impregnates a female, he loses the ability to produce viable seed; and once a female Shogakko is impregnated she no longer has heats. I do not know how.' Sage's eyes never left mine.

"What?" I whispered feeling a cool breeze chill my insides.

What Sage said next turned my blood to ice.

'If you lose these pups in the war, you will never be able to get pregnant again.'


	39. New Old Friends

**Howdy!**

**Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming, because they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**

**I know you guys want more action and we're drawing closer I swear.**

**As I think I've said before, if I haven't then it's new, but I plan on this being fifty chapter all together. So with this being chapter forty, you know we're in the home stretch, so just bear with me. :)**

**So without further ado I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

* * *

><p><strong>~New Old Friends~<strong>

Sage was not in a happy mood as we headed for Inuyasha's forest, and I couldn't blame him. If I were in his position, I wouldn't be feeling to well either.

"_You can't tell Sesshomaru." I told the guardian as my eyes flickered around the garden to ensure there was absolutely no one around to hear. _

'_But milady…'' Sage started but I interrupted him._

"_Did you see how upset he got just from suggesting that I fight apart from him? There is no way that he would let me fight if he knew I was pregnant, let alone that this is our one and only shot at having a child?" My voice was rising in panic and I had to force myself to bring it back down. "How long until you think he'll notice?"_

'_Given the earliness of the pregnancy and Lord Sesshomaru's keen nose, I would say he should not be able to detect the scent change for another few weeks, three weeks max.' Sage growled but his tone suggested he was still not comfortable with this._

"_We know Toro and Naraku will attack soon. I just have to make it through this war and then I will tell him. I swear I will, but I cannot let the opportunity to avenge our clan to slip through my fingers." I told him. "Just please let me tell Sesshomaru on my own."_

'_As you wish, Lady Kazuko, but I beg of you to be careful. If for some reason you grow weak in battle, your body will take away the energy it is using to support the pups and use it to keep you alive instead.' Sage warned and I nodded._

As we headed for the village, Sage had insisted on carrying me, saying he did not want me wasting any extra energy if it was avoidable. Since I had already made it difficult on him by forcing him to keep my secret, I allowed him to carry me. He also insisted on making sure I didn't do anything to overly stress myself. I told him he could watch out for me as long as it wasn't too obvious to others.

He traveled slowly, another part of his not wanting to stress me out and he required that we stop so I could rest. All together it took just under two days to reach the village.

I spotted the village down below and smiled slightly. After all these years it still looked the same, though I was hesitant to see if I could say the same about the inhabitants. The wind was too strong for Sage to hear me over the gusts, so I simply patted his back and pointed to the edge of the trees where village was.

As we descended I could see a figure I both recognized and didn't.

I knew it was Kagome as her scent drifted up, but the woman whose eyes lifted to see our approach was not the teenager I had known. Kagome was a woman now and it showed in the way she went for her bow and arrow upon seeing us, her eyes narrowed with a calm sense of control.

I didn't notice the child beside her until it went running into the village shouting "Demons!" I also noticed that Kagome had a little bundle on her back that was not her arrows.

"Don't shoot Kagome! It's me, Kazuko!" I shouted out as Kagome drew an arrow and had it poised to be shot. I could practically feel the spiritual energy waiting to be released.

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes narrowing in suspicion, but she allowed us to descend completely without attacking. I made a move to jump from Sage's back but he moved so I stayed put.

'Not until she puts down the arrow.' He growled.

"Come on Kagome, don't you recognize me?" I said.

"Kazuko?" She said softly before her eyes glazed over with knowledge. "I can't believe it's you!" She dropped her arrow and came running over, her arms outstretched. With a nod from Sage, I dismounted and opened my arms to accept my friend's embrace. "You look exactly the same."

"You look so different." I couldn't stop myself from replying, but quickly covered my mouth with my hands. "I mean you look great just…"

"Older." She finished for me with a smile. "I was surprised to see you looking the same. I know you're a demon, but I guess I expected you to change at least a little."

My next response was cut off by a sharp cry of an infant. I looked around, my eyes locking on Sage who gave the canine equivalent of a shrug. When I turned back to Kagome, I saw her moving the sling on her back, revealing a squirming little bundle.

"I think he smells the two of you, he's got Inuyasha's nose. The only demons he's ever been around are Inuyasha and Kilala." Kagome said cradling the little one in her arms.

"Is that your child?" I asked slowly, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh how could I have forgotten to introduce you?" Kagome made her way over to us, taking sure steps. "This is Inuyasha's and my son, Takeshi. Takeshi, this is your aunt Kazuko." Her gaze carried nothing but maternal love as she looked at her son. His eyes locked on to mine and I was amazed at how bright they seemed, they were the same color as his father's. "Would you like to hold him?" Kagome said looking up at me.

"Oh I wouldn't even know what to do with a baby." I said starting to shake my head, but was nudged by Sage. "Well I suppose I should learn." I mumbled before putting my hands out and accepting the child from Kagome. He barely weighed anything and his eyes stayed locked on mine. I expected him to immediately begin crying, but instead he just watched me with the same fascination that I watched him with.

"Watch out Kagome!" A voice shouted and I turned to see Inuyasha running up, Sango and Miroku behind him. "Demon, drop the infant now or die!" I lifted an eyebrow at the shouting half-demon; it would appear they had all forgotten about me.

"Inuyasha…" I cut off Kagome and gave her a shake of the head.

"I'll handle this." I said going over and handing her back their son.

"Now leave this village or die." Inuyasha said not once taking his eyes off me.

I stepped away from Kagome and back to Sage's side who was now growling at the half demon. Kilala jumped off Sango's shoulder and transformed into her battle form. She walked over to us with a rumbling purr.

'Welcome back Kazuko.' She let out a mew.

"It's good to see you again Kilala." I said hugging the fire cat and stroking her fur, ignoring the others. "I was actually going to go by the slayer's village to find you, but since you're here it saves me a trip."

'You were looking for me?' She growled in question.

"Yea, plans for the war are being made, and I was coming to ask for your assistance." I explained.

"Hey!" Inuyasha shouted. "What the hell are you doing? How do you know Kilala?"

"Inuyasha look closer." Kagome said at him and shook her head.

Inuyasha and the others seemed to truly see me for the first time as their eyes widened and they put away their weapons.

"I do believe it is Lady Kazuko." Miroku mumbled.

"The one and only." I said with a smile.

"Well damn." Inuyasha said as he came over. "The mutt is home." He said with a smile.

"Good to see you too." I said with a roll of my eyes, though I embraced him briefly.

"Welcome back Kazuko." Sango said as she came up to me and stood beside Kilala.

"Thanks Sango." I responded. "Congratulation on getting the womanizer to settle down, and congratulations on the baby, they must be four now?"

"She just turned five." Sango said looking back to the child watching from the edge of the village with the other villagers. "Come on over Megumi." The child came forward slowly and would not go any further than behind her father. As Miroku came over, she had no choice but to follow him or be left alone.

"I am glad you have made it back safe." Miroku said with a nod of his head.

"I'm glad you have such a lovely family." I responded.

"Megumi, come meet your aunt Kazuko." Sango said to the girl still hiding behind her father.

"Aunt?" The child asked peaking her head out. "But that's a demon." She commented. "Does that mean I'm a demon too?"

"No. Kazuko is not your aunt by blood like she is with Takeshi. She is just a really good friend of Miroku and me." Sango explained. The child let out a little 'oh' and looked over at me. I let her eyes go over my form, knowing she was trying to get an impression of me. "Don't worry, she will not hurt you." Sango said then looked to be to confirm.

"I would never hurt a child, especially the daughter of my friends." I said.

"Zaru and Rin said demons are never to be trusted." Megumi said in a factual tone. I looked up and gave Sango a questioning look. She shook her head and pointed to Megumi, indicating she didn't want to talk about it in front of their daughter.

"Well I came to request some assistance. But I would prefer if we could do it somewhere that wasn't so public." I said motioning to the villagers that were still standing at the edge of the village watching.

"Of course, you can come to our hut and we'll talk there." Kagome said as she led the way towards the outer edge of the village. The villagers scattered going back to their usual business trying to look as if nothing had happened. Kagome led us to a medium sized hut at the east edge of the village. It had three rooms, a main room, and what I took to be two bedrooms.

"Megumi why don't you go see if any of the villagers need help." Sango said earning a nod from the child. Megumi skipped out of the hut still casting curious gazes at the Sage and I. Kagome moved to place her son in a make shift crib before taking a seat. Sage had to shrink down to his smaller size to fit in the hut, and he took up residence on my right shoulder.

"So what did you need help with?" Kagome asked.

"I came to ask Inuyasha and Kilala if they would assist the west in the upcoming conflict with the east." I said trying to sound as diplomatic as possible and failing miserably, maybe one day I would have Sesshomaru show me how he did it.

"That bastard Naraku is going to be fighting for the east right?" Inuyasha growled and I nodded. "Hell yea I'll fight, even if it is with that bastard…" He was cut off as I glared at him, "-my half-brother Sesshomaru." He finished and I gave a nod of approval.

"What about you Kilala? We could use your strength and battle knowledge." I asked of the feline.

'It would be an honor to fight for the west.' The small cat mewed with a dip of her head.

"Wait, what about us?" Kagome asked and both Inuyasha and I gave her a surprised look.

"Uh well I didn't think you guys would um…" I trailed off not knowing how to put it gently.

"You think we've grown too old for battle." Miroku said and I nodded hesitantly.

"I don't mean to offend, but as humans your age could be seen as a hindrance." I said as gently as possible. "Besides you have children now. I wouldn't be able to live with myself putting Takeshi and Megumi at risk of becoming orphans. I'm only asking Inuyasha because I know he's going to show up anyway, whether we ask him or not."

"That is a decision for us to make not you." Sango said, her tone a bit terse but her eyes still holding the same kindness. "Naraku has been our target for many years now, long before you got here, and he still has Kohaku. We wish to fight with the west but if you do not allow us, we will simply enter the battle on our own."

"Sango…" I was prevented from speaking further as Miroku spoke up.

"My daughter, our daughter, has this curse." He said holding up his cursed hand. "I do not want her to have to go through life as I have. It is already hard enough on her now, having to be extra careful, and most of the village children are afraid to play with her. The only way I can ensure my daughter's safety and happiness is by bringing Naraku down."

"I agree with Sango and Miroku, plus I am the only one left who can sense the jewel, purify it and shoot sacred arrows. That's something you're going to need." Kagome adds and I am impressed at how bold she has gotten. Not that Kagome was a coward before, but she wasn't typically one to volunteer for the danger, though she ended up fighting in it anyway.

"I would say that I'm going to ask Sesshomaru," I start and notice how they all stiffen, "but it is obvious that you have decided, and I already know what he'll most likely say. Either way, neither side agrees on anything, other than the fact that Naraku needs to be stopped and by extension Toro."

"Thank you Kazuko. We would have hated to not be on the same terms." Sango says.

"We could use some humans, considering that Naraku has convinced just about all of them to side with him. Even if they're not fighting, I'm willing to bet some of the human villages are supplying Naraku's army with what they need to fight." I grumble.

"You'll have the support of the demon slayer's village. We are not so easily fooled; they know what Naraku has done." Miroku responds. "I am more than sure that the west has come up with a plan of action for the upcoming battle. I believe it is best that we be informed of it, so that we can do our best to aid and not hinder."

"Of course." I said leaning forward, feeling the familiar tingle of excitement and anxiety coursing through me.

**~Sage~**

I watched as Kazuko informed her friends of the plans and then caught up on the latest with the human girl, Rin. The news was truly sad, though I was not surprised. Humans were easily persuaded.

"Well I guess I should be heading back home." Kazuko said with a shrug.

My eyes drifted outside at the same time that the priestess spoke.

"It's already dark. Perhaps you would like to stay the night here." She was right the sun was nearly gone from the sky and if we left we would still have to stop for the night.

'The priestess is right; we should rest here and start out in the morning, especially considering your condition.' I agreed.

"Ok. It is nice to see you guys again, it's almost like old times." Kazuko said with a wistful tone in her voice. Her sad gaze at her aging friends did not go unnoticed.

"We may not be the same as before, but we haven't dulled." Kagome responded.

"I know, it's just something different to get used to, I never thought I would have to." Kazuko responded. "Hey Inuyasha, can I talk to you for a bit?"

"Yea." He responded, taking his eyes away from Kagome and his son and standing. I jumped from her shoulder to stand beside the fire cat.

"We won't be long." Kazuko said as she ducked out of the hut followed closely by Lord Sesshomaru's brother.

'So how have you been Kilala? Masaru told me you were with a demon slayer now, but it has been many centuries since we've last seen each other. If I'm not mistaken, it hasn't been since the Priestess Midoriko still roamed, that we've cross paths.' I barked at the feline.

'Yes, it has been quite some time Sage. I must say you're looking fluffier than usual.' She mewed back with amusement clear in her voice. Thankfully my fur kept any blush from showing. 'Your nose is glowing absolutely red.' She purred.

**~Kazuko~**

Inuyasha and I walked in silence for a while, eventually ending up at the Sacred Tree. I had to give him credit, he didn't once try and push me to talk, and instead he followed with his arms crossed.

"I have to tell you something and you have to swear not to tell anyone else. Okay?" I said, taking a seat on one of the large roots.

He raised his eyebrows in question, but nonetheless offered a nod.

"I'm going to be fighting with you guys, not Sesshomaru." I started.

"How does he feel about that?" Inuyasha said with a tone that implied he already knew the answer.

"He's not thrilled, to put it lightly." I said with a shake of my head. When Inuyasha let out a snort I continued. "But that's not the point. There is a reason why I'm going to be sticking with you guys. I can't go into the battle alone."

"Didn't those years of training prepare you for fighting on your own?" He asked, leaning against the trunk of the Sacred Tree.

"Yes it did, but there are certain circumstances that keep me from doing so safely." I said.

"What circumstances?" He asked. I looked off into the star filled sky and sighed. "I wouldn't usually demand you tell me, but Sesshomaru would have my ass, and might even come after Kagome and Takeshi if something happened to you while you're with me. So if there is anything that can be a problem, I need to know, for them."

As much as I didn't want to tell him, he was right. It would be plain selfish to put him and his family in danger because of my secret. "I'm pregnant." I whispered so quietly that a human wouldn't have been able to pick up on it. Inuyasha's keen hearing picked up on it and I could tell from the flick of his ears in my direction. He stayed quiet for so long that I had to finally look up to him. "I know you heard me."

"Yea I did." He said his eyes closed. "I'm guess by the way you're fidgeting, that Sesshomaru doesn't know, does he?"

"No he doesn't and he can't know until after all of this is settled with Toro and Naraku." I said with a shake of my head. "There is no way he would let me fight."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I don't blame him. Having Kagome fight, even by me has me on edge enough. If I knew she was pregnant? I don't care how many times she tried to 'sit' me; I wouldn't let her go into battle." Inuyasha said shaking his head. "But I know you're just as stubborn as I am, maybe even more. If he told you not to fight, you would anyway, wouldn't you?" He asked.

"You know me well." I said with a small smile.

"Then consider me your guard, so long as Kagome is safe. If anything happens to her…" He stared off back towards the village.

"I know and I would never ask you to put me before her." I said, standing and placing an hand on his arm. "Thank you."

"Feh." He said his ears twitching in obvious embarrassment. "I just don't want Sesshomaru coming near my family."

"We should probably head back, the others might worry." I said walking towards the village.

"Hey Kazuko." Inuyasha called as he caught up with me.

"Hmm?"

"Let's hope the pup takes after you, the world doesn't need another Sesshomaru." He said with a shake of his head and a smirk.

"Let's hope your kid takes after Kagome, because the world doesn't need another you either." I countered getting a laugh out of the both of us.

"Good to have you back, mutt."

"Good to be back."


	40. It Begins

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><p><strong>~It Begins~<strong>

"You know this taste amazing." I said as I attacked the bowl of stew Kagome had given me. It was early morning and we were all seated around a small cooking fire in Kagome and Inuyasha's hut.

"Wouldn't Sesshomaru have royal chefs or you know someone to make food way fancier than this?" Kagome asked with a light blush. "I'm sure you've eaten better than this, but thank you for the compliment."

"He does and that's the point. This is great because it's simple and without the flourish." I said with a small smile. "The head chef is a creepy but kind bat demon, and nothing but top notch is allowed to come out of his kitchen. It makes you miss regular food like this."

"I don't think we ever asked before, but how are you and Sesshomaru?" Sango asked. I thought about it and it was true, I never talked much about Sesshomaru or the western castle around them.

"It's life." I said with a laugh. "He can be stubborn and annoying with his 'I'm indifferent and superior to the world' attitude, but I wouldn't change him."

"What about children?" Sango pushed and I nearly choked on the food in my mouth and had to gasp for breath and set aside the bowl.

"What?!" I managed to gasp out.

"He is the western lord and if I remember demon law properly, it is expected for him to have an heir now that he is mated." Sango said.

"Well children are, uh, in the plan." I said and glared at Inuyasha as he gave a smug, knowing smirk. "But it's not something to think about until after this war is settled."

"I love Takeshi, but his pregnancy was hard, but I image all demon pregnancies are." Kagome said.

"Are human and demon pregnancies different?" I asked, though I could guess the answer after what Kagome had implied.

"Yes, it is much more draining, but that could only be because Kagome was human giving birth to a half-demon. I would guess that since you're a demon it won't be as hard, but I'm not entirely sure. Also, there is the time difference, demon pregnancies are longer." Sango answered.

"Longer?" I questioned with my eyes narrowed.

"Yes, I was pregnant with Takeshi for eleven months." Kagome said and I felt my eyes snap open.

"Eleven?! That's almost a whole year." I tried to keep my voice level.

"That's because she's human and the child was a half demon." Sango said seeming confused at my reaction. "Had no one told you how long demon pregnancies last?"

"No, I just assumed it was nine months like humans." I responded. "Plus I think most forget that I was raised by humans, most of the people in the western castle think I've been a demon my whole life."

"Well, different types of demons last different lengths." Sango said and guessed my next questions. "Full dog demon females carrying a full dog demon child are typically pregnant for seventeen months."

"Seventeen months!" I shouted the color draining out of my face. "That's almost twice as long as a human!" A muffled sound brought my attention to Inuyasha who was on the verge of tears from trying to hold his laughter in. "Kagome if you would." I said with a smirk of my own.

"Sit." She said and Inuyasha got a face full of floor.

"What the hell." He said snapping back up.

"Ass." I said as I stood up, although a bit shakily. "It's about time I headed back." Sage was by my side the whole time and he changed into his bigger form the moment we made it outside.

The rest of the group followed us outside and gave their goodbyes. I was just settled on Sage's back when a black dot appeared in the sky heading for us, growing larger and closer by the second.

"Kazuko!" I heard the familiar voice of Shippo, and going by the swiveling of ears Sage and Inuyasha heard him too.

"The runt is here." Inuyasha said.

"Shippo? Oh I haven't seen him in such a long time." Kagome said with a wide smile.

Swift landed shortly after with Shippo on his back and the two looked ruffled as if they had been flying at top speed for a while.

"Oh my, Shippo you've gotten so big." Kagome said going over to give the fox boy a hug.

"Thanks. It's good to see you all, though I wish it were for a better reason." Shippo said and for the first time I realized what he was wearing. Gone was his old clothing. Now he wore white pants with a white top with the crest of the west over the heart. When he moved a slight metallic clink could be heard, and I guessed he was wearing chainmail beneath his clothing.

"Don't tell me." I said and Shippo nodded solemnly.

"Toro and Naraku have begun their attack. Lord Sesshomaru has sent me to tell you that the army is on the move and that the plans are being put into place." Shippo said with the formality and confidence of a seasoned warrior. "Do you have a message you want returned to him?'

"Tell him I'm with the group and we're going into battle." I said looking over my shoulder at the others who nodded.

"As you wish milady." Shippo responded giving a signal to Swift and the two were off flying back in the direction they had come from.

'His attack is much earlier than expected.' Sage growled and I nodded.

"They assumed we wouldn't be prepared, and they're partially right. I doubt Katina and Ryo have been able to fully ready the village yet." I said. "I'm sorry guys, looks like we're going into battle now."

"We'll take the children to Kaede's and tell her what is going on. Give us a few minutes and we'll be ready." Kagome said rushing back into her hut. Sango, Kilala and Miroku followed, leaving Inuyasha with Sage and me.

"Kazuko." Inuyasha said and I looked down at him. "Are you sure you want to do this? I may not like Sesshomaru much, but I know how crazy I would be if I lost Kagome or Takeshi or the kamis forbid, both of them. Maybe it would be better if you stayed out of this one."

"I can't." I said with a sigh. "For once I wouldn't mind being left out of the battle, but this is the one battle I have to fight. It's going to come down to Toro and I one way or another. He won't stop until he reaches me and no one can avenge my clan but me. With you guys with me, I know I'll make it out alright." I said giving as good a smile as I could muster.

"He knows doesn't he?" Inuyasha said motioning to Sage. "That's why he been practically attached to you since you've gotten here."

Sage and I nodded. "He's actually the one who told me that I was pregnant."

"You're pregnant!" Inuyasha and I turned sharply as Kagome's shout reached out ears.

'_Damn, how did we miss them returning.' _I thought and realized there was no hiding it from them. "Yes I am."

"And Sesshomaru is the father?" Miroku asked and I glared at him. "Just making sure, no offense meant." He covered.

"Offense taken." I replied sourly.

"He's letting you go into war? I know he seems cold but I it's obvious how much he cares for you. I'm surprised he's letting you go." Kagome murmured.

"He doesn't know." I said turning my head not wanting to see their reaction, though their barely concealed gasped still reached my ears. "We can talk about this later, but now we have to get moving." I added jumping off of Sage's back. When the guardian gave me a confused look I shook my head. "I know you don't want me traveling but Inuyasha and Kagome need a ride and flying is the fastest way to get there. Kagome you're with Sage, Inuyasha you're with me." I transformed into my smaller true form and nodded to the others.

"Can't argue with that." Inuyasha said as he helped Kagome onto Sage and jumped on to my back.

'Let's go.' I growled to Sage and Kilala, who now had Sango and Miroku as passengers.

Flexing my wings I bunched my leg muscles before releasing and pushing into the sky, flapping hard to get above the tree line.

'Where are we heading to?' Kilala growled from where she flew just a few feet behind me.

'We're taking Sage to the village first. Then we're bypassing the main battle to find Toro and Naraku.' I barked in response.

'I'm not letting you face Toro alone.' Sage said his growl heavy with determination.

'I know you're worried about me but you have to think about the bigger picture. Katina needs you. You have the most in depth knowledge about healing and herbs and things like that. We need you helping heal more than we need you being my personal guard.' I could feel Sage getting ready to argue so I added. 'Besides, I won't be alone. I've got them with me.' I motioned to Inuyasha and the rest.

'Fine, but be careful and send for help if you get overwhelmed.' Sage grumbled out.

'I will.' I said thankful that we were able to clear that up smoothly.

"What are they saying Inuyasha?" I heard Kagome call as she looked between Kilala, Sage and I.

"I don't know, I don't speak mutt." Inuyasha said sounding annoyed. I gave a quick buck, causing him to grasp on or face falling. "Hey!" He shouted and I couldn't help but laugh a little.

**~Naraku~**

"This is everything we've been preparing for." Toro said as he eagerly looked into Kana's mirror at the battle unfolding.

I had to give it to Sesshomaru and his forces, they moved fast. We had expected to get at least half way between the western castle and the border, but the western forces had intercepted our main army just within the western border. It didn't matter. We outnumbered them by more than five to one and that was just the main army, and that doesn't count the demons coming from the mainland with Zao.

"Kanna show me the Shogakko." I demanded.

The white robed child gave a nod before the image on the mirror switched from the front lines to a scene of the Ryu-Inu village. It would appear the Shogakko was conversing with the other Ryu-Inu female. The female seemed troubled but gave a nod. The Shogakko transformed into her smaller true from, taking Inuyasha and the strange priestess as passengers before taking off, with the two tailed cat in tow carrying the demon slayer and the monk.

"Kagura." I summoned the wind sorceress, who entered looking annoyed as usual. "Take Posku and help our guest find their way here." I said in a formal manner. Kagura huffed, her expression unchanging as she left.

"Do what you want with the half-breed and his group, but the bitch is mine." Toro growled as he stretched and flexed in preparation of the upcoming fight.

"You shall have your revenge on the Ryu-Inu." I said lazily, all the while knowing that my plans for the Ryu-Inu were much greater and going to be more successful than the eastern lord's plans.

"Also, don't damage my castle, or you'll be repairing it with your bare hands." The bull lord said before he exited the war room shouting at servants to prepare his battle attire.

I went back to watching the Ryu-Inu Shogakko as she kept her ears flickering back, listening to what the priestess said. I had purposely kept he jewel's aura revealed so that the priestess would follow it here.

"Years of work are about to come to an end, and I shall be on top when the smoke clears."

**~Kazuko~**

"I can feel the presence of the jewel getting stronger, so we must be getting closer." Kagome said and I gave a gruff of acknowledgement.

I didn't like where we were headed. We had already crossed into the eastern territory, and had to fly low so not to attract any unwanted attention. I had guessed Naraku and Toro would not be in the main battle, but I hadn't expected them to be in the dead center of the eastern lands. Both of them were showy and loved to draw attention, so I had thought they would be closer to the main fight.

"What the hell is Naraku doing this far from the battle?" Inuyasha voiced my opinion.

"It could be a trap. We could be running into one of his incarnations, while he hides somewhere else." Miroku suggested.

"We'll just have to find out when we get there." Sango said.

'Look out!' Kilala's roar brought my attention below us as a pair of wind blades racing at us.

I dipped my left wing and swerved out of the way and checked to see that Kilala, Sango and Miroku had dodged as well. _'What the hell?' _I thought and sniffed picking up Naraku's scent.

'That's not Naraku is it?' I growled to Kilala and she shook her head, her red eyes narrowing towards where the attacks came from.

'It's Kagura.' Kilala snarled back.

"We must be getting close to Naraku for Kagura to show up." Inuyasha snarled.

'I don't see her do you?' I asked Kilala, my eyes searching through the dense forest below us.

'Barely, she's using the trees as cover.' Kilala responded.

'_Then I'll get rid of her cover.' _I thought as I summoned fire to my mouth and opened my jaw to unleash a torrent of flames burning away a good chunk of the trees. But instead of burning Kagura the fire was sucked up by something standing near the wind sorceress.

It was a large demon, standing twice as tall as Kagura. Its skin was black and it had orange eyes. Instead of hands the ends of its arms were cone shaped with a sharp point at the ends. In the center of its chest was a large white crystal embedded in the flesh. Twirling inside the crystal was a red flicker that looked like a small flame trapped inside.

"I'll get her." Inuyasha called jumping from my back and sailing towards Kagura.

'I see his recklessness hasn't dulled any.' I growled with a roll of my eyes.

As I watched the half demon fall, a glint caught my attention. As I turned towards it, I realized it was coming from the mystery demon. The crystal on its' chest was glowing bright red. It opened its jaw, reveling two rows of orange teeth. It dawned on me what was happened just as the same torrent of flames I had sent at it was now being sent towards Inuyasha. I knew the Robe of the Firerat would protect him, but as he covered his head Kagura unleashed another attack.

"Dance of the Dragons." She called her attacked rushing for Inuyasha who couldn't see it.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed from my back as I rushed towards him, though I realized I wouldn't be able to make it in time.


	41. A Worthy Rival

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><p><strong>~A Worthy Rival~<strong>

_As I watched the half demon fall, a glint caught my attention. As I turned towards it, I realized it was coming from the mystery demon. The crystal on its chest was glowing bright red. It opened its jaw, reveling two rows of orange teeth. It dawned on me what was happened just as the same torrent of flames I had sent at it was now being sent towards Inuyasha. I knew the Robe of the Firerat would protect him, but as he covered his head Kagura unleashed another attack. _

"_Dance of the Dragons." She called her attack rushing for Inuyasha who couldn't see it._

"_Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed from my back as I rushed towards him, though I realized I wouldn't be able to make it in time._

I pushed as hard as I could but the half demon was too far for me to get to. As much as I wanted to close my eyes from the inevitable, I know I couldn't. If Inuyasha perished it was my fault and the least I could do was not to turn away like a coward.

The flames blasted around him and we lost sight of the half-demon, only able to see a ball of flame and Kagura's attack coming for him. Just before the attack him something shot into the fire and out the other side. When the fire and wind disappeared there was nothing left, but bits of his red robe fluttering down.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out again and I could feel the wet drops of her tears falling into my fur.

"Hn." Kagura smirked as she turned her attention to us. "After all these years, I expected better. Oh well, now for the rest of you." She lifted her fan to send another attack, but stopped as she sent an irritated glare just past us. "How did he survive?!"

We turned to see Inuyasha in the grabs of a huge bird's talons.

"He made it out!" Kagome said her tears doubling.

"How." Miroku said quietly.

The bird lowered Inuyasha to the ground before a loud pop was heard and smoke covered the bird, and then parted to reveal Shippo.

'Shippo!' I barked in surprise. 'What are you doing here?'

"Sage sent us to deliver you this." He said motioning to a package hanging off of Swift who had come up beside me. "It's some kind of charmed armor." Further conversation was interrupted by Kagura attacking.

"Dance of Blades!" She shouted gaining our attention.

"Oh no you don't." Inuyasha shouted from the ground. "Wind Scar." He unleashed the attack.

'Get back!' I growled to Kilala, Shippo and Swift. Kilala hovered higher, Shippo jumped onto Swift's back and they did the same, as did I. As expected when the two attacks collided they created a large explosion. Even from out distance the attack was strong enough to push us back a little more.

As the dust and smoke settled my eyes were scanning for the red clad half demon. Inuyasha stood a little ways off from Kagura and the new incarnation, glaring at them both.

'Swift.' I barked to the guardian who turned his head towards me. 'You take Kagome, and keep her safe. She can shoot her arrows from your back. I need to transform back so we can deal with Kagura. Shippo you'll cover me. I don't want you directly in the fight, understand?' When the fox kit and guardian nodded I turned towards Kilala. 'Kilala can you keep them distracted while we switch?' The fire cat gave an affirmative roar. 'Let's go.' I told the other two, turning quickly and headed into the surrounding forest.

"You're not getting away that easily." I heard Kagura shout but she was cut off as Inuyasha unleashed another Wind Scar.

We made it just over a mile away before landing.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked as I crouched to let her down. Thankfully she took the hint and got off.

"Swift is going to carry you while we take on Kagura. Inuyasha and I want you off the ground." I said after turning back to my human-like form.

"What about you, you know you're…" Kagome started and I cut her off with a cough and motioned towards Shippo and Swift.

"I'll be fine, trust me." I said offering a smile of reassurance. "Shippo stay with them unless I call you." I said.

"Don't forget this." Shippo said grabbing the pack from Swift and tossing it towards me.

I looked into the back and narrowed my eyes as I saw what it contained. "This is armor." I asked skeptically as I picked through the bag. All the bag contained was four black bands.

"It's what Sage sent." Shippo said with a shrug.

'You put one around each limb.' Swift barked.

"Fine, we're losing time." I said and went to put one of the hands around my arm, though it was a bit big and I doubted it would stay on.

But the moment the band made contact with my skin it took on a life of its own and shot up wrapping itself tightly just above my elbow. The other bands immediately reacted likewise, one of the bands doing the same to my other arm, and the two wrapping around my legs just above my knees. Once all four were in place, they melted into my skin so that they were no longer visible.

"Ok, that was kind of cool, but I still don't see their use." I said.

"Sage said once you get them on to say 'Ryu no seishin' to make the armor work and then 'Ryu ni kansha' for it to stop." Shippo said.

"Ryu no seishin?" I said with a raised eyebrow. Immediately a humming went through my body.

Scales began appearing on various parts of my body.

Four large, silver and violet scales appeared on my knees and elbows, wrapping around them. From my knees to my feet various small scales branched downward from the large scale, around my lower leg and stopped at my ankle. The same happened on my arm the small scales going from my elbows, only the ones on my arms continued to my hand cover it like a glove, with five large claws now protruding from where my claws would have been on each hand. I felt a tingling and turned to see scales wrapping around my tail and could feel them shooting up my back, until I could tell my entire back was now covered in the small scales. Finally I felt the scales spread up the back of my neck and change. As I placed my now armored hand on my head I could feel they shifting in to the shape of a dragon skull, though the scales remained on the outside. It scales covered the back of my neck, the top of my head and part of it came down just above my eyebrows. Summoning a small globe of water to see myself, I could see two horns protruding from the helm. Overall it looked nice and I found that it was surprisingly flexible and didn't hinder my movements any as I took a few exploratory movements.

"Woah." Shippo whispered as he looked at me from atop Swift's back.

"We'll marvel at this later." I said and had full intention to get a better look at this armor out of battle. "But right now we have to get back to the others.

Shippo, Swift and Kagome nodded, as Kagome got on Swift's back and Shippo moved to the guardian's head.

"We ready?" I asked and when they all gave another nod I took off running back for the fight. "Keep her out of danger!" I yelled to Swift as he ascended and followed from the sky.

We made it back in time to see Miroku and Inuyasha on the ground with Kilala and Sango hovering nearby. Kagura released another Dance of Blades attack. I managed to land in front of the attack, ready my staff, and sweep it across the ground, bringing up a pillar of earth that stopped Kagura's attack. Once I was sure that the attack was over I lowered the pillar back into the ground.

"You think you're strong now, because you learned a few tricks and some old armor, how pathetic." Kagura taunted though she did step back so that the mystery demon was now in front of her.

"Not bad, nice armor." Inuyasha said as he kept his sword at the ready. "Where's Kagome?" He asked in a quieter voice.

Without saying anything I motioned behind us and he looked before turning back to me with a nod.

"You guys know anything about the other demon yet?" I asked my eyes never leaving the Naraku's two minions.

"No he hasn't attacked since he hurled your attack back. He's just been sitting there." Miroku said the unease showing in his lowered voice.

'_I think I know what Naraku made this demon for, but I have to make sure.'_ I thought as I moved my staff into my left hand, lifted my right hand palm facing the mystery demon and released a fairly low blast of electricity. As I expected the demon absorbed the attack into the crystal on its chest.

"Meet your match." Kagura taunted as she stayed behind the demon.

"It would appear Naraku has found a way to counter my elemental attacks." I said unfazed. After seeing what the demon had done earlier, I had already guessed this.

"He may be able to take your attacks but I'll get rid of him." Inuyasha boasted. "Wind Scar!" He shouted and unleashed his attack.

Though Kagura stepped back a few paces, the other demon stood fearlessly as the attack came towards him. I watched as the attack was sucked into the demon's chest much like my two attacks had been. The demon seemed to brace itself before its two bladed arms up. It brought them down in a slashing motion and the familiar Wind Scar was racing for us.

"Move!" I shouted to Inuyasha. Since I was the closest to Miroku I quick slung his arm over my shoulders and wrapped by arm around his back and jumped out of the path of the attack bringing the monk with me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Inuyasha not far behind us. Once the attack was done I landed and let Miroku get his footing back.

"Thank you, Lady Kazuko." He said with a slight bow in my direction.

"Don't mention it." I responded before turning towards the half demon who had landed beside us. "What the hell Inuyasha?!" I growled.

"How was I supposed to know he was going to do that?" He said looking clueless as usual.

"What the name of your attack?" I demanded.

"The Wind Scar." He answered and catching the glare I was given him barked. "So?"

"What's the first word?" I barked back. His expression changed as the realization spread over his face. "Yes wind! It's an elemental attack!" I shouted, hitting him over the head with my staff.

"So what should we do?" Miroku asked.

"Find a way to separate them. I'm pretty much useless against that demon, but I can take on Kagura." I said.

"How are we going to do that? Kagura is using that thing as a shield." Inuyasha pointed out.

"I have an idea." I said taking a step forward before whispering over my shoulder. "Just let me handle it."

"Surrendering already?" Kagura sneered with a smirk.

"Let's drop the act Kagura." I growled and she narrowed her eyes. "You're in love with Sesshomaru and you hate me because I'm his mate." I stated and she gave a small growl in response. "I challenge you then. Just you and me, one on one, to the death, winner gets a shot with Sesshomaru." I heard a round of gasp from behind me and a distinctive growl from Inuyasha.

"You think you can defeat me?" Kagura scoffed at me though her narrowed eyes showed me that I had her attention.

"We'll never know until I try." I said keeping my tone and expression level.

**~Kagura~**

She was either stronger than I thought, or extremely brave to call out a challenge she could not win. I knew Naraku had said to use the demon to destroy her, but I wasn't going to let that half demon stop me from this. For once I would get the chance to fight for me and what I wanted, instead of just doing what Naraku demanded.

"I accept your challenge. We fight to the death." I said with an inward smirk. Even if she somehow managed to overpower me, with Naraku still in possession of my heart she couldn't kill me.

"Kagura, this is not what Naraku ordered." The nameless demon Naraku had created said to me. His human voice caught me, and going off of expressions, Inuyasha's group, off guard. It was much too soft to belong to a demon such as this one.

"You keep them busy until I get back. Naraku said to take care of them, I doubt he cares if we stick to the plan or not, so long as they're all dead in the end." I snapped. Removing a feather from my hair I enlarged it and jumped on.

I didn't have to say anything else as I took off towards the east away from the others. I heard her having a dispute with Inuyasha before I could feel the demoness following me. I continued until we were well out of range of the others and landed. I purposely picked large field away from the forest with caked earth and dry air, so she would have difficulty using her elements.

"It's a shame." She said and I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "In another world or under different circumstances, I think the two of us could have been friends." I looked for trickery or mockery in her words but I was surprised to get nothing but honesty in her expressions and words. Just who was this demoness?

"I doubt that." I countered and she gave a shrug. "Let's start. I cannot guarantee this will be a fair fight once Naraku catches wind of this. He will most likely send a horde to ensure your death." Why did I care if this was a fair fight and why did I feel the need to ensure her that it would be?

I watched her ready her staff, bringing it beside her body with both hands held firmly on it. Before she could get it completely in position I unleashed my Dance of Blades attack. She moved quickly, dodging most of them and bringing up a small pillar of earth. A smirk graced my lips as I noticed how small her defense was and the effort that showed on her features from doing so.

"What's the matter? Realize that your so called power is a joke?" I taunted. She didn't respond but instead straightened herself and leveled a glare in my direction. I scoffed at her attempt to scare me and unleashed one of my Dance of the Dragons attack.

With a swing of her staff she dispersed my attack. I was angered more with the seeming effortless way she did it than at the fact that she had managed to stop my attack. Without a word she charged at me with more speed than I remembered her possessing from having watched her through Kanna's mirror. She again swung her staff downward, but I jumped back. She appeared unfazed as she planted the staff in the ground and used it as a support point and swung around the side with a kick to my side.

I only had time to summon enough wind to lessen the blow instead of being able to completely deflect it. The dragon armor she was now wearing made the attack harder than it should have been as the scales came in contact with my shoulder and cut through my layers of clothing and a bit of skin. Acting more out of anger than planning, I brought my fan up and unleashed a Dance of Blades attack again. She was too close to avoid it, and unprepared to deflect it. I watched in satisfaction as she brought her arms up to protect her face, but still receive the full effect of the attack. The unprotected parts of her body were soon covered in gashes that flowed red easily.

Despite her wounds, she jumped back putting a few yards between us. When I raised my hand to unleash another attack, she had charged at me. When she was a few feet from me, she jumped and did a front flip.

"Thunder Tail!" She shouted as clouds formed and lightning shrouded her armored tail. Her tail came down at the same time as a large lightning bolt shot down from the clouds.

I jumped back but the attack still hit, causing a painful jolt to rock through my body. I was left motionless for a few seconds, something she didn't waste time taking advantage of. She slammed her staff down on my right shoulder. My legs buckled and I dropped into a kneeling stance from the weight of the blow.

"Dance of the Dragons!" I gave another attack, using her close proximity to her disadvantage.

A smirk played on my lips as I watched her become surrounded by the tornadoes I had formed. Suppressed growls could be heard and the scent of blood filled the air as she was undoubtedly being torn apart by my attack.

Yet I was surprised as I felt the familiar sensation of my heart being returned to me. Was Naraku rewarding me for destroying the Ryu-Inu?

"_You have defied me for the last time." _I heard Naraku's voice echo in my head.

Before I could completely process what that meant, I heard a shout from the other demoness.

"Dragon Storm!" I stood motionless in shock as sky grew black with storm clouds.

My attack dissipated as five slender dragons consisting of lighting heading for me. One wrapped itself around me neck and the other four wrapped themselves around a limb a piece. Now my stillness was form another reason as I could no longer move.

"Strike!" Kazuko called out as she placed her sword in the ground before her.

The clouds above gave a mighty rumble before the largest lightning strike I had ever seen descended. The attack hit me with force I had never felt before and I knew this was to be my end. The only thing that kept me standing was the dragons wrapped around my limbs, but once the attack cleared up and the dragons disappeared I crumbled. I landed on my back staring up at the now blue sky.

Kazuko seemed to drag herself over to me as she had many gashes over her body, many of which were deep. Her eyes searched over me as if deciding if I were still a threat. A stream of blood trickled down the side of my mouth as I faced her.

"You have won."

"I know." She snorted.

"Your power is worthy of him."

"I know."

"You were a worthy rival Kazuko."

"As were you Kagura."

"You may kill me now; I have long wished to be free of that half-demon. Do it now before he changes his mind and takes my heart again."

She didn't respond verbally but instead gave a nod. She raised the sword she had used to summon her earlier attack. I watched as she brought it down with both hands, the blade piercing through my heart bringing it to a stop.

"Find your freedom Kagura." Her words were the last thing I heard as I felt he life drain out of my body.

**~Kazuko~**

I watched as Kagura gave a small smile and I could have sworn she whispered 'Thank you'. Her body disintegrated being swept up and becoming a part of the wind she loved and I sheathed my sword. Once she was completely gone I collapsed to my knees, the last of my adrenaline fading out of my system. I had too many cuts to count, and at last half of them were deep enough to be concerning, plus that last attack had used up almost all of my energy.

"I suppose she was good for something." I flinched as I tried and failed to turn towards the voice, but I didn't need to. I knew who it was.

"Naraku." I growled mustering as much energy as I could to stand and face him. Surprisingly it wasn't one of his baboon pelt puppets, but the real Naraku standing before me.

"She intended to kill you. That was something I could not have. I have plans for you." He said his smirk disgusting me. "But she did weaken you enough to make capturing you easy." Before I could react he unleashed a cloud of miasma.

I held my breath yet felt my body getting heavier and consciousness slipping. Confused I looked around and noticed Naraku's smirk growing as he was looking at my body. With a feeling of dread I looked down and saw that the miasma was entering my system through the open wounds I now had. I fought it as long as I could, but eventually I couldn't hold back anymore as the darkness closed in.

The last thing I heard before I completely passed out was Naraku cruel laugh.

**~Sesshomaru~**

Toro's army was numerous but mostly untrained.

My soldiers were making progress, cutting through Toro's numbers. I was currently going over a change in the attack plan with my general and away from the main fighting. The demons from the continent were starting to cross over and we needed more soldiers to help on the coast or we would be surrounded and defenseless.

'Sage you cannot!' Barking caught my attention as I saw two of the Ryu-Inu guardians heading towards us.

'I cannot keep this secret any longer. The longer she hides this, the more in danger she places herself and the pups.' The one called Sage growled back and I was curious as to who he was referring to.

'But you said you gave her your word that you would not tell Lord Sesshomaru.' Hearing the other guardian say my name had my full attention turning to them.

'Yes I did, but I did not promise not to tell someone else while he is near and then discussing it with him once he already knows.' Sage retorted as they landed in front of me.

'Please do not do this; Lady Kazuko may never forgive you.' The other guardian said.

'That is something I am going to have to risk.' Sage said as he looked towards me with a nod before turning back to the other guardian who he had come with. 'Kazuko is pregnant, and as you know Shogakkos can only become pregnant once so I feel her participation in this war should be ended immediately.' He barked.

His words had me before the guardians in a blink of an eye. "What did you say?" I snarled with narrowed eyes.

Sage refused to look at me but instead kept his eyes on the other guardian. 'As I said, Kazuko is pregnant, and as you know Shogakkos can only become pregnant once so I feel her participation in this war should be ended immediately.' He barked.

"Kazuko is pregnant." I echoed. My mind was reeling as I processed what had been said. I had guessed that she might have been with pup, when she slept for a quarter of a moon after her heat, but I had yet to confirm or refute it. And now this guardian was telling me she could only bear a pup once? I may have let her continue to fight just knowing she was pregnant though I would have limited her involvement, but knowing this was the one and only chance to have a pup with my mate changed things.

The guardian was right.

I needed to get her out of battle.

'Ah Lord Sesshomaru, how ever did you know? Well doesn't matter now, you know and we need to discuss what to do.' Sage responded. 'I know she is with your brother and I have given her some armor for protection, but I suggest we get her somewhere safe as quickly as possible.'

I could feel my demon roaring in anger and it took a huge amount of my self-control to keep from transforming and charging off to where she was. It wouldn't be wise to give anything away to Toro or Naraku; if they knew about this there was no doubt that they would stoop so low as to use this to their advantage. For now I had to find Kazuko and get her out of battle all without giving anything away.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" I turned my attention to the fox kit that was speeding towards us on the back of another guardian.

'Swift and Shippo.' Sage commented.

The two landed before me and the fox kit's eyes refused to meet mine as he brought something forth.

'_Kazuko's staff.'_ I thought taking the staff from the kit's hands.

"Naraku has taken Kazuko. She went off to fight Kagura and Naraku took her." The kit said, keeping his eyes and head low.

I barely heard the sharp gasps from the others as this time I could not restraining the raging beast in my chest.

"Which way did he take her?" I demanded.

"Their trail leads towards the eastern castle. Inuyasha and the others are already in pursuit." The kit answered. Without hesitation I summoned my orb of light and shot off towards the eastern castle.

'_Naraku if you harm my mate or my pups, you will be praying for death.'_


	42. Intrusion of the Personal Kind

**Howdy!**

**I know, I know. This is SUPER LATE. Sorry.**

**No excuses, I doubt you guys care as to they why, you just want to get to the new stuff.**

**One thing though: this is looking more and more like 50 chapters won't be enough. I just have too many things I want to have and I doubt you guys would like to read 30-40 page chapters. As of now I'm still aiming for 50 but the closer I get the more unrealistic it seems.**

**Thanks for the reviews, I love getting them. Usually I would ask for more, but I feel bad asking for them since I can't even update regularly.**

**I think that's it, so I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

* * *

><p><strong>~Intrusion of the Personal Kind~<strong>

**~Kazuko~**

I awoke feeling groggy. My body felt as if it was held down by boulders. I was lying on my back, nothing but darkness around me. I wasn't even sure if I was awake or still passed out. I preferred to think it was the former. I tried to recall anything that would explain how I ended here…Now that I thought about it, where was I exactly?

With more strain than I care to admit, I lifted myself into a sitting position, leaning against whatever was behind me. It felt like a stone wall going off of the cool and rough texture. I lifted my right arm to go over my body trying to find the source of the aching that seemed to cover me. As my hand came in contact with a scale-like substance, the previous events came back to the front of my thought.

'_I got this armor from Sage. I killed Kagura and then…Naraku! He was there then…?' _I thought trying to concentrate, a light pounding forming against my skull. _'He unleashed his miasma, so he must have captured me, because I remember passing out while he was there. Damn it.'_ I concluded mentally. Most likely I was in whatever hideout Naraku was using to keep away from the main battle.

As I tried to figure out anything about my surroundings a loud, deadly mix of a howl and growl shook the ground negating my attempt to stand. My inner demon pulsed alive at the sound recognizing it as Sesshomaru's beast calling out. From the sound of the call and the feelings I was picking up from him it was clear he was pissed.

'_What's got him so upset?'_

**Really? **

'_Oh yea I've been kidnapped.'_

**Did you forget?**

'_No.' _My demon gave a disbelieving snort. _'Okay I forgot for like… three seconds.'_

I resisted the urge to answer Sesshomaru's call and let him know I was okay. No need to alert Naraku to the fact that I was awake if he didn't already know. I would be giving up valuable time I needed to figure a way out of here.

"Did you hear that?" I perked at the familiar sound of Kagome's voice. It was distant but close enough for my hearing to pick up, which meant they couldn't have been too far away.

"Yea, sounds like Sesshomaru is on his way." Inuyasha responded. "All the reason to get there first."

"Why?" Kagome questioned.

"Sesshomaru may be a royal, emotionless pain, but even he sounds close to losing it. He's too strong in his true form for us to risk him not thinking straight. He'll probably just end up causing more damage than help." Inuyasha said with a snort in his tone.

'_Inuyasha is right. I need to get out of here before Sesshomaru goes over the edge. Okay, Kazuko, take a deep breath and concentrate on a plan.' _I thought and followed my own advice then paused. I took another breathe in this time using only my nose. A familiar scent assaulted my senses but I couldn't quite place it. _'No time to dwell on that now, I got to get out of here. If it's important I'll remember.'_ I reasoned to myself.

Standing, with a bit of stiffness, I placed my ear against the stone wall and tried to focus on whatever sounds were on the other side. Strangely all I could hear was the sound of a slight breeze, almost as if there was nothing but the outdoors on the other side of the wall.

'_Well only one way to find out.' _I began to shift the stone away as quietly as I could until a hole, just big enough for me to squeeze out of, formed. Sure enough there was an open field with a forest at the edge. I squeezed out of the hole and dusted myself off looking around. As I turned back towards the wall my eyes widened and the scent from before suddenly made sense. Behind me stood the eastern castle looming in the darkness of the half moon. _'Naraku must be really sure of himself to be somewhere so obvious instead of hiding._' I thought but didn't have the time to dwell on it, I needed to meet up with the others and Sesshomaru.

"Ryu ni kansha." The armor faded away to wherever it came from. I cloaked my aura and scent and took off in the direction I could sense the group since they were the closest. I was sure Naraku had some sort of trap waiting for them and if I could keep them away from the castle, hopefully we could avoid it.

**~Kagome~**

"Do you think this is a good idea?" I asked a bit hesitantly from Inuyasha's back as we traveled in the direction Naraku had taken Kazuko.

"Are you saying we should leave Kazuko with Naraku?" Inuyasha asked with a snort of disbelieve and a hint of anger.

"No! But we all heard Sesshomaru and I'm sure we can all feel his aura approaching much faster than we are. I'm just saying when you used to lose control you couldn't distinguish between ally and enemy." I said and Inuyasha mumbled something incoherent under his breath. "Sesshomaru doesn't exactly consider us to be the best of friends to start with so should we risk going into a situation where he may not be in an indentifying state of mind?"

Everyone else remained silent for a while though we didn't stop moving until Sango spoke up.

"I don't want to abandon Kazuko, but I think Kagome has a point." She said a bit softly. "Times aren't like they were before. We're not as young and resilient as we used to be. Taking these unnecessary risks isn't something we can afford to do anymore. I think we should leave it up to Sesshomaru. We know he has allies who can assist. We're already worn out from the fight with Naraku's incarnation and if we're going to have the strength to fight Naraku himself, we shouldn't risk avoidable confrontations."

"I agree with Sango." Miroku added in.

"But what about her condition? We can't just leave her pregnant in Naraku's care." Inuyasha said though his voice had lost some of its influence.

"Wow, out of all of you Inuyasha is the only one willing to look for me. That's unexpected." A familiar voice called out as Kazuko landed in front of us.

"Kazuko!" I said surprise clear in my voice. Immediately after seeing the demoness a wave of guilt came over me.

"It's okay." Kazuko said as if she knew what I was feeling. "No reason to feel guilty."

'_She can probably smell it.' _I thought with a sigh.

"It's not like I just came in at the last moment, I heard the whole conversation." She said with a shrug. "If I had been able to, I would have told you guys not to come after me anyway. You guys should go somewhere safe and get some rest, I need to intercept Sesshomaru. Once I finish with him, I'll meet back up with you guys. I'm pretty sure Naraku is hiding out in the eastern castle, or at least it's where he kept me until I got out." Kazuko said before she took off in the direction of Sesshomaru's aura.

"Wait Kazuko! How did you get out so quickly?!" I shouted after her, realizing it had only been around an hour since Naraku had taken her and she had been passed out then. The demoness didn't respond as she disappeared from sight.

"Let's find somewhere safe to spend the night." Inuyasha said and the others agreed.

**~Naraku~**

I watched Kanna's mirror with an undisguised smirk of triumph as the Shogakko departed from Inuyasha's group and towards Sesshomaru. The charm I had placed was undetectable when not in use and only visible when being taken off, a feat that could only be accomplished by the one who had placed it in the first place.

My plan had come to me as I traveled to the eastern castle with the Shogakko. It was so simple I found it hard to believe I hadn't thought of it before.

Instead of going through the trouble of baiting Toro into challenging Sesshomaru in a battle to the death, I could use the Shogakko. It was clear that, even through his mask of indifference, the western lord was bonded to his mate. Thus I could set her to kill him and he wouldn't be able to fight back. That still left Toro to be dealt with, but I doubted it would be too hard to convince the Shogakko into killing him. I wouldn't even need to use the charm for that.

My interest sparked as I saw Sesshomaru appear before Shogakko with a rare expression of concern on his features.

"I caught you in time. Are you okay?" She asked.

"I should be asking you that." The western lord replied.

"I got away before Naraku could do any damage." Kazuko responded.

"Not that." Sesshomaru said, then continued at the Shogakko's confused expression. "Sage told me you were with pup."

'_This makes things more interesting.' _I thought immediately beginning to formulate how I could use this new information to my advantage.

**~Kazuko~**

'_I'm going to kill Sage and then I'm going to wait ten years for him to revive and then I'm going to kill him again.'_ I thought sourly as I heard Sesshomaru.

"So you know?" I said noticing the silence passing through. He didn't say anything but instead just nodded. "Before you try it, I'm not leaving this war." His eyes narrowed but remained silent as if he were giving me a chance to explain. "I've been training and preparing for this for over a decade. My clan has put their faith and trust in me and I cannot let them down. If you try and force me out of the war, it would just be a waste of both of our energy. Even if you managed to get me away from the fighting, as western lord you have to be with your soldiers and I'll find a way back into the battle when you leave."

"You're stubbornness rivals Inuyasha's." Sesshomaru said in his usual flat tone.

"Speaking of Inuyasha, he already knows which is why we were fighting together." I said hoping to ease him some.

"You were captured when you separated from them." Sesshomaru pointed out.

"That wasn't their fault I chose to fight Kagura on my own." When Sesshomaru gave a look that showed this information wasn't helping I sighed and conceded. "Okay, so it wasn't the best decision I could have made given the situation." I admitted. "When I rejoin the others, I promise to stay by them." I added.

"I cannot allow you to fight." Sesshomaru responded his voice hard like when he was giving orders.

"If Naraku and Toro win this, this world is going to fall into a darkness that will consume everyone and everything in its path. If…if I lose the child this world will be fine. I know you have to have an heir and if it comes to it you can always find…another to bear you an heir." The last bit of my words came out as a chocked whisper though I refused to let any tears slip from my eyes. "I have to go meet up with Inuyasha and the others. I'm pretty sure I can lead them to Naraku and I'm willing to bet Toro won't be far off." I quickly said not wanting to give Sesshomaru a chance to respond.

"You will not fight." Sesshomaru growled and I snarled back in response.

"Yes I will, whether you like it or not." I said through clenched teeth. I could feel his aura flaring trying to force me into submission but I resisted flaring my own in defiance.

"I will not allow it." He said and I knew it was not worth arguing over, neither one of us was going to budge.

I had gone to turn around back towards Inuyasha yet stopped. The stopping didn't bother me considering the tone of Sesshomaru's voice. What _did_ bother me was that I wasn't the one who made my body stop. I tried to turn, yet my body wouldn't respond. I focused back on Sesshomaru to tell him something was wrong but found myself unable to speak either.

'_Having trouble?' _Naraku's hideous voice broke into my thoughts.

'_Naraku!' _I thought angrily not considering that if he could project his thoughts into my head, he could probably hear mine as well.

'_Yes milady.' _He mocked spurring an internal growl from me.

'_What have you done?'_ I demanded.

'_Nothing special, just a charm, nothing for you to worry about. After using the jewel shards for so many unsuccessful attempts at complete mind control, I realized I don't need to control the mind, just the body. Plus you still have enough of my miasma in your system to aid my spell.'_ The spider explained with a snugness I could feel.

'_What do you intend to do with this new found power.'_ I huffed mentally. If there was one thing villains seemed to love, it was sharing their plans, even if you hadn't asked.

'_My full plan will become apparent when needed.' _Naraku responded to my surprise. _'But for now having you kill Sesshomaru is the first step.'_

"I sense Naraku." Sesshomaru said with a sharp gaze.

'_If only he knew.' _Naraku commented and I inwardly groaned.

I wasn't sure which was worse; not being able to control my body or having Naraku's disgusting voice in my head.

Probably the second one.

**~Sesshomaru~**

Naraku's aura radiated from nearby, impossibly it seemed to radiate from Kazuko. I knew she wasn't an illusion of Naraku's because of the bond I could feel coming from out mating marks, and I could not sense any of Naraku's incarnations in the area.

She made no response to my comment but continued to look at me with a conflicted gaze.

A twitch of her hand drew my attention away from her eyes to see claws flashing towards me. Surprise and disbelief, instead of lack of training, held me from dodging or deflecting the attack. Instead I now had five fresh cuts on my right shoulder just under my armor; her attack had gone through the clothing and skin, leading to a reddening of the area around the cuts. My eyes lingered on the wound for a while before I brought myself to look back at my mate. Her expression was sinister with a devious smirk acting as a focal point. Surely she was not this insistent on staying in this war, that she would attack me.

Again she came at me, though this time I dodged. I searched her aura through her mating mark to sense what was going on, but there was nothing unusual. I could not pick up any emotions that would lead her to this. Naraku's presence encircled her, but only seemed skin deep since the mating mark couldn't pick it up.

Kazuko charged me again her claws slashing in a downward arc that was easy enough to dodge, but she dropped into a sweeping kick that caught me by surprise. As her leg made contact with mine I was forced to grab her wrist to keep from falling. She was silent as she brought her unhindered hand up to leave a set of claw marks on my left cheek.

It was clear that some other force was at work and she wasn't in control of her actions, yet her silence was troubling. If it were some sort of mind control, growls or snarls of protest were to be expected. She was strong willed and even if she couldn't overpower a mind control spell, she should have been able to break through enough to say what was going on. Yet she remained silent her eyes still alert and not the normal haze that signaled when one's mind was being taken over.

'_This must be some new trick Naraku has come up with using the jewel shards. Inuyasha's priestess can sense them.' _I thought scenting the area. Inuyasha's group wasn't too far off judging by their scent. The only trouble was trying to find out how to lure Kazuko over to them or get them here.

While my attention was momentarily distracted, Kazuko brought her claws down into the hand that was holding her other wrist. I was forced to let go and rip my hand away leaving four bloody holes in my hand.

She charged me again and I thought to use my whip to defer her, but found myself unable to do so. Even though I knew that this was not Kazuko as I knew her, my inner demon refused to let me go on the offensive and chance injuring my mate or the young she was carrying. Silently cursing myself for being weak I saw no other option than to head for Inuyasha's group and hope Kazuko, under whatever spell Naraku had placed, would follow.

I kept my eyes on her as I circled her so that I was between her and Inuyasha's group. She watched, turning her body slightly so that she was facing me at all times. Against every ounce of pride and instinct I had, I turned and took off in the direction of the jewel detecting priestess. Thankfully I could hear Kazuko making chase. A few times I would hear her stop before following again.

**~Kazuko~**

'_Why the hell won't this work?' _Naraku's angry thoughts made me smirk inwardly. As I, he, we…whatever, as my body chased Sesshomaru, Naraku was unsuccessfully attempting to stop the western lord with my elemental powers. _'I'm doing exactly as I've seen you do.'_ He was referring to the extreme violation of going through my memories that he had committed shortly taking over my body. _'Tell me why this does not work!'_ He demanded.

'_No.' _I responded getting mild pleasure from his anger and confusion. I, of course, knew why it wasn't working, but had no desire to share that with the spider, though when he got frustrated enough I imagined he would invade my thoughts again. Speak of the devil there he went again. I could feel his aura weeding through my thoughts and memories.

'_I see, it's not about the movements or the symbols on your body, your aura is the true source of your powers.'_ Naraku concluded as he withdrew from my memories. _'Fortunate for you.'_

'_No part of this is fortunate.' _I retorted.

Naraku laughed and I focused back on whatever Sesshomaru was doing. He was heading in the direction I had left Inuyasha and the others in. I couldn't imagine why he would be heading their way. If he couldn't attack me I doubted he would be able to bring himself to have someone else do it.

"Naraku!" I heard Inuyasha shout shortly before I saw Tessiaga coming down at me. Thankfully Sesshomaru's Tenseiga also came into view, blocking Inuyasha's attack. "What the hell Sesshomaru." Inuyasha snarled before he realized I was the one he had almost cut in half. "Kazuko why do you reek of Naraku."

'_Must he always say that?'_ Naraku grumbled.

'_You do smell pretty bad.'_ I mentioned.

'_Do I?' _Naraku questioned.

'_Yup.'_ I responded and he fell silent.

"Naraku has used some sort of trick to possess her. Where is your priestess?" Sesshomaru growled facing away from me to speak to Inuyasha.

'_He really should watch his back better.'_ Naraku said as he made me draw my sword and slash at Sesshomaru. Thankfully Inuyasha was paying attention and blocked with Tessiaga.

"Kagome and the others are on their way." Inuyasha said tensely as be pushed back making me have to jump back.

I had no choice but to watch as I attacked Inuyasha again. He dodged and seeing an open swung his sword towards my side. But before he could make contact Sesshomaru's whip wrapped around his wrist stopping the half demon.

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha growled yanking his arm out of the whip, though before he could move away I got in a punch to his jaw.

Sesshomaru stayed silent through he was keeping his narrowed eyes on the two of us.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted as she and Sango appeared on Kilala with Miroku trailing on foot.

I turned and jumped, slashing at Kilala. The fire cat roared and moved out of the way.

Not waiting for the obvious question Inuyasha shouted to the newcomers. "Kazuko is under some kind of spell by Naraku."

"I don't sense any jewel shards." Kagome said. "But I can sense another demonic aura mingled with Kazuko's. It's radiating from something but I can't tell what."

Again I lunged, going for Inuyasha. The half demon growled and turned not able to bring his sword up in time, thankfully the Robe of the Fire Rat protected him and deflected the attack.

"We have to get her subdued." Inuyasha growled then cast an accusing look at his brother. "If you can't attack her, can you at least keep her from attacking us?"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed to near slits at Inuyasha though he did turn towards me. His face was the most emotionless I had ever seen it, even I couldn't depict even a glimmer of what he was thinking.

I charged at Sesshomaru, sword gripped in both hands ready to swing. He side stepped me and brought his hand up grab my left wrist. I dropped the sword and aimed a punch to his face with my free hand. He dropped his own sword and caught my other wrist. He turned, and forced me to turn, so that he held both wrist behind my back. It wasn't painful but definitely uncomfortable and kept me from getting free, though my body was definitely trying.

"It's very small but I can sense Naraku's presence, it's concentrated here." Kagome said motioning to her neck. "Whatever Naraku is using is beneath the skin."

"Can you get it out, like the Jewel Shards?" Inuyasha asked keeping himself between Kagome and me.

"I'm not sure. I can't call whatever it is like I do the Jewel Shards." Kagome mumbled.

"What about the method we used to deliver Megumi. Make a barrier around whatever it is and purify it." Miroku suggested.

"It could work." Sango pitched in.

'_What are they talking about?'_ I wondered, I hadn't heard anything about Megumi's birth being difficult, especially not about a barrier needing to be used.

"I don't know." Kagome said. "That was with two **humans** involved, the spiritual energy didn't bother them." She paused before looking cautiously towards Sesshomaru. "But I don't see any other option."

'_They figured you out again Naraku. It really must be frustrating to have all of your plans fail.' _I mocked the spider.

'_Hmph.'_ He responded.

"What are the ramifications priestess?" Sesshomaru's voice rumbled with a poorly suppressed growl.

"If all goes well I should be able to purify whatever Naraku is using with minimal pain for Kazuko." Kagome said, her face steeled up. "If I fail, I could end up purifying her."

'_Wait what?'_


	43. Revelations of Rebirth

**Howdy all, long time no see huh?**

**I bet some of you thought I had just given up on this story, but rest assured I have not. I vow to myself and y'all that I will finish this story. Now how long that will take is another issue ha. **

**Side note this story recently turned 2 years old, don't know if that is good or bad, I'll let y'all decide.**

**I am trying to make a better effort at given attention to my writings since they are my favorite things.  
><strong>

**Anyway I know I've kept you waiting long enough, so here it is.**

**I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

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><p><strong>~Revelations of Rebirth~<strong>

**~Sesshomaru~**

A steady growl was emitting from my chest as I watched the priestess slowly approach. It was all I could do to keep myself from attacking the mate of my brother. My instincts were against everything about this plan. The priestess had admitted this wasn't something she had tried before. She had explained what she was going to do and was now going to attempt it. Inuyasha and the monk had offered to hold Kazuko so that I would not also run the risk of being purified. I had refused, my beast would not allow me to remove myself from my mate until she had been cleared of Naraku's hold.

"Please try to keep her as still as you can. It will make it harder to concentrate if she moves too much. She will feel some slight pain around the area of whatever Naraku is using." The priestess said her eyes staying level with mine as she stopped in front of Kazuko. The priestess reached her hand towards Kazuko's neck but quickly pulled back when Kazuko lowered her head and snapped silently with her fangs showing. "You're going to have to keep her head back."

I adjusted her arms together and wrapped my whip around them, making sure not to let any poison seep onto it. Gently I captured a large part of her hair and tugged it back until her neck was bared to the priestess. My beast was raging at this and I found myself using all of my energy between keeping Kazuko still and my beast at bay.

The priestess nodded.

"I'm going to begin."

**~Kazuko~**

'_I think this is something you would rather be in control for.'_ Naraku chuckled. I was confused as I felt his presence retreat. It didn't completely disappear but he had given control of my body back to me. Before I could let the group know, Kagome's spiritual energy pierced my skin.

Immediately a scream of pain ripped out of me, and I could feel Sesshomaru's beast responding. With great difficulty I forced my mouth shut to keep my sounds to a minimum only allowing a few snarls and growls. My beast was trying to repel Kagome's energy and I tried my best to stop it, but my survival instincts were beginning to overpower my rational side.

I felt like I was choking. Kagome was focusing her spiritual energy around my neck, where she assumed Naraku's spell was. Naraku's spell was fighting against Kagome, and I saw her gasp.

"That's it." Kagome said through a strained voice. I saw her reach her hand forward and felt a rush of Kagome's spiritual energy, Naraku's spell, and my own beast. It all centered on my neck before jolting my entire body. I could tell my body was going limp just before I lost consciousness.

**~Kagome~**

I gasped as I saw something rising from the skin around Kazuko's neck. At first purple symbols appeared on the skin, and I focused on them. Soon a red band was clearly visible around her neck with the purple symbols on it.

"That's it." I said and reached forward to grab the band. A large amount of demonic energy met me and I could feel that it was Naraku's intermingled with Kazuko's. As carefully I as I could I sorted through, grasping Naraku's aura, though part of Kazuko's was caught with it. Once I was sure I had all of Naraku's spell surrounded, I gave a surge of spiritual energy to break the spell. With a grimace I watched as not only the red band began to burn, but also the flesh around it. _'Just a little more, hanging in there Kazuko.'_ I silently urged as I felt the spell weakening. My eyes widened when Kazuko's eyes slid back into her skull down and close and her body went still in Sesshomaru's hold. I backed off my spiritual energy slightly to see if I could still feel Kazuko's aura. _'It's weak but still there.'_ I knew I needed another push to completely destroy Naraku's spell, but I wasn't sure if Kazuko would be able to withstand another assault of spiritual energy.

Sesshomaru must have sensed my hesitation because a louder snarl sounded from between his clenched teeth. I closed my eyes to shut him out as I knew I had to come up with a decision. Naraku's aura was recovering with each second.

_'I wish you could tell me what you wanted me to do Kazuko.' _I thought as I felt the faintness of her aura. She was almost as stubborn as Inuyasha and I knew what he would want in this situation, though I didn't know if I would have been able to. _'You would rather die than live under Naraku's control, wouldn't you? Of course you would, we all would.' _I knew there was only decision that Kazuko would have wanted. _'Please forgive me if this does not work.'_ I silently prayed to the kamis and Kazuko.

Again I weaved my way around Naraku's aura being more delicate in keeping Kazuko's aura as untwined as possible. I didn't open my eyes. I didn't need to. The burning unease I felt was Sesshomaru's glare, and the worried sensation was Inuyasha and the others. Taking a deep breath, I put another wave of energy into purifying the spell. I felt the band dissipating in my hand and felt relieved until the spell was completely gone and I realized that I could no longer feel Kazuko's aura.

_'Oh no.'_

**~Inuyasha~**

I watched the thing around Kazuko's neck disappear and felt myself releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding. But immediately I could sense Kagome's unease as she stayed in front of the demoness both of them motionless.

"Kagome? What's wrong?" I made to step to her, extending my hand in her direction. She turned her head towards me, her eyes reddening around the corner as she seemed to be on the verge of tears. Before I could get any closer, Sesshomaru's aura erupted with so much force that Kagome was propelled into me. "Kagome!" I shouted as I caught her and eased her to the ground. "What happened?" I whispered, keeping my eyes on Sesshomaru who was staring down at Kazuko's limp form.

"I went too far." Kagome said her voice barely above that of an exhale. "I felt her aura weakening and I went forward with it anyway." She said her voice rising with each word. "I didn't mean to do it! I killed her!" She was on the verge of hysteria and I pulled her tighter into my chest.

From the corner of my eye I saw Miroku and Sango stepping forward, their faces grim but determined as they watched Sesshomaru.

"We need to get out of here." Sango said her Hirakotsu at the ready.

"No, we can't leave them." Kagome objected.

"If we don't Sesshomaru is going to kill you, probably all of us." Sango added the stress obvious in her voice.

"I caused this. I'll suffer the consequences no matter what they are." Kagome said. She turned as a growl rumbled in my chest.

"Like hell you will." I snarled.

Before she could respond I suddenly felt my anger washing away. It felt as if I were in a stream and my anger and all emotions were being swept away until all that was left was a calm. Looking around I could see everyone else relaxing as if they were going through the same thing. Even the red bleeding into Sesshomaru's eyes began to recede.

"What's going on?" Miroku questioned his voice groggy as if he had just woken up.

"I don't know, I just feel so relaxed." Kagome said, her voice sounding the same.

A shadow began to descend on the area we were in and I had to force myself to look up. _'Shit we are in no position to defend ourselves against a dragon. I thought they had all died off.'_ I thought as I watched a large, long bodied dragon closing in on us. I went to grab for Tessiaga but was having trouble working myself up enough to draw it. The twitching from the others let me know they were in the same situation.

"Calm yourself young ones. I am here to help not hurt." A voice echoed and even though the dragon's mouth did not move I knew the voice was coming from it. The voice was deep but still obviously feminine. "It is I that has suppressed your emotions as to keep this to safe for all." The dragon added staying hovered around the clearing. "Lord Sesshomaru place Lady Kazuko on the ground and step away."

I looked over to my brother and noted that while the red was receding from his eyes it wasn't completely gone. His teeth clenched in a silent snarl and he made no move to release his mate.

"Lord Sesshomaru we do not have much time. We both know you do not possess the ability to bring her back a second time with the Tenseiga. I will bring your mate back but we must hurry, Naraku is growing as we speak. If we are to have any hope of stopping him we must be quick." The dragon said its voice sharper.

Sesshomaru still didn't move instead his muscles tensed as if he were prepared to attack the dragon.

"Dammit Sesshomaru let it do what it needs to!" I growled. "Even I can see that this is our only option. Put Kazuko down." I added, though didn't dare to make a move towards the Daiyoukai.

His eyes went from the dragon to me and I could feel the intensity of his gaze as if I had been struck by a blade.

"Let it help." I said motioning to the dragon. "You have...you can't try to do everything yourself. It's ok to accept help sometimes." I felt Kagome squeeze my hand as I spoke.

We watched as Sesshomaru slowly lowered Kazuko to the ground.

"Thank you Lord Sesshomaru." The dragon said as the sky darkened and it hovered over Kazuko's body. "She will return to this world." It placed its snout against the dragon mark on her waist. A blinding multi-colored light surrounded the two before it disappeared, Kazuko and the dragon gone.

The red bled back into Sesshomaru's eyes but he seemed to maintain control as he kept his eyes locked on the spot his mate had been in last.

**~Kazuko~**

"One of these days I believe I'm going to stop waking up in ridiculous amounts of pain." I grumbled as I pulled myself into a sitting position. My eyes opened with the feeling of lifting tree trunks, heavy and scratchy. Giving them a few rubs helped enough for me to focus on where I was. "Dammit."

Looking around I could see that I was back beside the lake and oh-too-perfect scenery I had hoped not to see for a few hundred years or so. I could feel the heaviness of failure settling on my shoulders despite the peace of my surroundings. As I wallowed I became very aware of being watched, and by multiple sets of eyes. Pulling myself together I gave another look around The In-Between. What I saw made my heart break in a way that sent physical pains through my chest.

At the edge of the lake a group of small children were tentatively exploring the water. They didn't look any older than a human infant. I watched them feeling tears falling freely, they were the exact mesh of Sesshomaru and me. Part of me wanted to go over and scoop them up, but another part of me didn't want to go over and chance hurting them anymore.

"They are adorable. Hard to believe they will one day become some of the most feared and respected rulers of the west." A barely recognizable voice spoke from behind me.

"Duma." I sighed, though I don't know why I was so sure of who was behind me. "They would have been great rulers, if I hadn't gone off alone like an idiot. So what now?"

"You go back and finish what you were born to do." The dragoness said in a nonchalant tone.

"Slight problem with that, don't you think." I hissed though I knew there was no reason to be upset with her.

"I will admit you have a certain knack for interrupting the path of fate." She said moving to stand in front of me. I looked up and shook my head. "But even you cannot alter the ultimate goal. You are destined to fight in the final battle of the Great War, and so you shall."

"I think you're forgetting some crucial details, like the fact that I'm dead." I huffed annoyed. Apparently the myth that you couldn't feel negative emotions in the afterlife was false. "Plus I've been killed, twice now. First by a low level demon that was nowhere near Naraku's power, and then by a trinket of Naraku's. Perhaps you're misreading fate."

"You were inexperienced the first time and your friend intervened with fate's plan." Duma said.

"What? Kagome was only trying to help. There is no way you can blame her for anything she's done." I argued.

"Like breaking the jewel?" Duma questioned. I started to say something but she raised a hand to stop me. "Kagome was never meant to come here."

"Of course she was, she had the jewel inside her didn't she? She's Kikyo's reincarnation."

"The jewel was placed in her for protection. Other than Kikyo she is the only one with the spiritual energy to suppress and keep the jewel pure. It was placed inside her so that it would be out of reach of evil and suppressed so none could sense it."

"But they said when she came here a demon sensed it in her and ripped it out." I argued.

"When she fell through the well she activated the jewel. She was not supposed to fall in."

"If she wasn't supposed to be here, why did the well let her through?" My mind was aching from the implications I could feel Duma was making but I didn't quite want to believe.

"The spell of passage on the well was intended for when you became of age and the spell placed on you activated. Once you were through the well was to seal so as not to allow anymore passage. Kagome's unplanned passage with the jewel has the passage now bound to the jewel. Once the jewel is destroyed the spell will break."

"We won't be able to pass through the well again?" I questioned and Duma nodded. "Does Kagome know any of this?" Duma shook her head. "You can't tell her." The dragoness raised an eyebrow. "She thinks this is all part of her destiny. I know she's had trouble trying to decide what the right thing to do is. Plus it took forever for Inuyasha to get over Kikyo and love Kagome. They have a kid together now. What about Inuyasha?" I questioned with interest. "If Kagome wasn't supposed to come through, what was supposed to become of him? He wasn't bound to the tree in the future, even before Kagome fell through."

"I think it is best you not know." Duma said kneeling before me. "Time is short, we must return to what is at hand." She reached out a hand toward me and I jerked back.

"Tell me what was supposed to happen to him. He's a good guy, mostly, and you're making me think something bad was supposed to happen to him. Something he probably didn't deserve." I narrowed my eyes at the dragoness. "I'll go along with whatever you're trying to do without any more questions if you tell me."

"Fine." Duma said in a sigh. She reached forward again and again I pulled back.

"Tell me first."

"Very well, but only because you are leaving me with no other choices. You should know you are leaving people's lives in danger the longer we stay here." She gave what sounded like snort.

"Why should I care, I'm dead, again." I said though internally I was concerned for everyone still living and wanted to help them as fast as I could.

"As you were told earlier Tessiaga was hidden in the Dog General's grave, which was hidden within a pearl, which was hidden inside of Inuyasha's eye. Correct?" I gave her a nod. "And as you know Sesshomaru desired the sword. The spell Kikyo placed on Inuyasha prevented him from being able to access the pearl. The spell had to be removed in order to get to the pearl. The only one who could break the spell, as far as he knew, was Kikyo. But there was another way to break the spell." I could feel where this was going but I had to hear it from Duma to be sure as I felt my blood running cold and my stomach dropping. "Killing Inuyasha would have also broken the spell."

From there Duma's voice became fuzzy or maybe my ears did. I was vaguely aware of her pointing to the children and explaining something. She summoned them over and I was aware of little eyes looking at me but unable to process anymore. The only thing I could bring myself to do was nod. She placed her hand on my shoulders and closed her eyes.

"Kazuko you have to pull in your emotions or this may be too powerful." It was the last thing I heard before I blacked out again.

**~Inuyasha~**

It seemed like ages since that dragon had taken Kazuko, but the sun hadn't noticeably moved so it couldn't have been that long.

Sesshomaru hadn't moved an inch from where he had been. Kilala was standing where Kazuko had last been opposite of Sesshomaru. The rest of us had moved aside to discuss what our next plan of action was whether or not the dragon brought Kazuko back.

Kilala's roar cut through our conversation. The wind picked up and the clouds darkened as if a storm were on its way. She rushed swung Sango onto her back, then roared at Miroku who must have gotten the message as he climbed on behind his wife. She leveled me with a stare that had me grabbing Kagome. The fire cat took off into the sky though kept her eyes on the spot Kazuko had been. I took Kagome and jumped to the top of a tree near Kilala trying to figure out what had gotten her so riled up. As the clouds gathered my skin felt a prickling sensation. I could feel an aura that was both familiar and foreign.

Rain began to fall so heavily that the trees began to bend and I was afraid I'd have to jump off. But almost as suddenly as the rain started it stopped. The wind picked up making me grasp Kagome and sending Kilala pushing forward though she fought it the best she could. Through narrowed eyes I could just make out the now muddy ground shifting till a large pillar was standing where Kazuko had been. Around the base of the pillar a coil of fire began snaking around the pillar melting off parts and drying others. Once the fire dissipated the pillar had become a statue that resembled Kazuko, and she looked pissed

"What's going on?" Kagome shouted over the wind. As she spoke the wind stopped. It didn't drop off or slow down it just stopped, the air going suspiciously stale.

"Should we go check it out?" Miroku suggested.

"Yea." I said but Kilala stopped me. She stayed hovering above pointing her nose toward the clouds.

I looked up to see that the sky was completely black, no stars or moon showing. Only a gleam of light through a circle of clouds, that was directly above us showed. I didn't have time to think about it as a roar that shook the ground tore through the air. It was one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful roars I had heard in my life. It sounded from the hole in the sky and the closer I looked I could make out the dragon from before hovering in it.

"Give us Kazuko back you lizard!" I growled. It was hard to tell from here but it looked like one of the dragon's eyes locked on me before a blinding light filled the hole.

A small sliver of light that I recognized as lighting shot out of the hole. It was only as wide as a piece of thread but it shone brighter than the sun. It wormed its way down to the statue. When it hit it expanded to the largest lightning strike I had ever seen, larger than even Sesshomaru in his true form. It hit with such force that everything around was destroyed, at least Sesshomaru must have sensed it because he moved before it made contact.

The light cleared slowly and there was nothing left. No forest, no grass, and most important, no Kazuko or statue.

"Did it not work?" Kagome asked verging on hysteria again.

"You were going to kill your own brother!" I snapped my head back over to where Sesshomaru had moved to see violet hair and a violet tail swaying in anger.

"It's Kazuko." I said with a sigh of relief. She was standing directly in front of Sesshomaru, who couldn't hide his shock. His eyes were wide and back to normal as she had a finger pointed at his nose.

"I can't believe you. I knew you were a little cold, but this is beyond acceptable. I don't know what to say to you." She was growling each word and even though I wanted to go over, I knew better than to get involved in whatever lover's spat this was. She gave an unintelligible snarl and stomped away from Sesshomaru, fist clenched, moving in a circle as if she were unsure where to go.

She paused and looked off to the sky, which was now completely cleared.

I didn't have to look when a wave of pure evil and power washed over the area. What hadn't been killed by Kazuko was now wilting away from the sheer force of evil. It was Naraku but something was wrong, it was way too powerful even for him.

"Shippo." Kazuko said and as I followed her gaze I could just make out a small dot hurrying towards us.

Shippo skidded in on one of the dragon dog things that followed Kazuko around.

"Shippo what's going on?" Kazuko asked her gaze serious.

"Naraku absorbed Toro." The kit said his voice trying to remain calm but the panic obvious.

"He absorbed a Youkai Lord." Sango said in fear and awe. "I didn't think even he could do that."

"That's not all." Shippo added his tail fluffed out looking almost like it used to. "He's gotten the rest of the shards and absorbed the jewel."

Silence filled the air as everything around us decayed.


	44. Face-off

**Howdy!**

**Ooooh chapters for each of my stories on back to back days? That's new. You guys know how this goes. Review if you feel so moved to.**

**I give you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

* * *

><p><strong>~Face-off~<strong>

**~Kazuko~**

"Kohaku."

Sango's cry ripped through the area as Shippo's words sunk in. Off to the side I could see Miroku going to comfort his wife. Though the monk's face was a grim mask, his scent gave away the fear that each of the humans were radiating, along with Sango's stinging sadness.

"Alert all to change course for Naraku." Sesshomaru's voice was the next to break the silence.

'_Tell him no.' _I recognized Duma's voice weaving through my mind. It was a definite improvement over the last voice that had been there.

'_Why? We're going to need all the help we can get.' _I questioned, eyes narrowed.

'_It is not their fight.'_ Duma's voice gave me an ominous shiver that only a person who had died twice could recognize as impending death. I knew what she was going to say next before she continued. _'It is yours.'_

'_Of course it is.' _Somewhere deep down I had known it would eventually come to this, but now, faced with the real situation, I didn't think I could handle it.

'_Plus, as I was searching for you I noticed the warlord from the continent is approaching with a larger force. Tell Sesshomaru he is to send all of his forces to the shore. If not the land will be overrun regardless of the outcome with Naraku.' _Duma explained and I gave a scoff, getting the attention of those around me. I knew Sesshomaru was not going to like this.

"Send everyone to the shore." I said somewhat sharper than needed, my anger from before still simmering. "That warlord from the continent is headed this way with a huge army."

"Naraku is more important and how would you know that?" Kagome said.

"Duma," I started and noticed their confused looks, "the dragon told me and they're both threats that need to be dealt with immediately." I responded.

"Then who is going to help us with Naraku?" Kagome asked.

'_Tell them they're going to the coast too.'_ Duma pointed out.

"You're going to the coast too." I had barely gotten the words out before Inuyasha butted in.

"Like hell we are. We've been hunting Naraku for over a decade, we're not going to leave Sesshomaru and you to finish our fight." The half demon fumed.

"Sesshomaru is going to the coast too." I said and felt Sesshomaru's aura flare in response.

"I am not leaving you to take on Naraku alone." Sesshomaru's tone made it clear that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"This is my fight." I said the words feeling like sand in my throat.

"It's our fight. We were fighting him long before you got here." Sango broke through her sobs.

'_You have to tell them.'_ Duma instructed and I knew she was right but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

"It was never your fight." I said feeling it difficult to say as I watched Sango mourn the brother Naraku had taken from her.

"How can you say that Kazuko? You know everything Naraku has put us through." Kagome said her disbelieving gaze hard to meet.

"I don't want to explain it, it just is the way it is." I said my skin prickling from all the looks I was receiving.

"We're going to fight Naraku." Inuyasha said with force equal to that of his brother.

'_We don't have time to waste, Kazuko. Tell them!'_ Duma's voice roared in head causing me to flinch slightly.

Before I could stop myself I was spewing everything Duma had told me. Everyone's faces, except Sesshomaru's, shifted from angry to shocked to disbelief.

"I- I wasn't supposed to be here." Kagome whispered visibly trembling. Inuyasha caught her just before her legs gave out.

"I don't care what some old lizard has to say." Inuyasha growled softly though he didn't put up a fight outside of that.

"Shippo tell everyone to go toward the coast." I said and saw Shippo shaking with wide eyes, unsure of what to do. "Now Shippo!" I hated having to snap at the kit but we were wasting time. He gave a stiff nod before going to Swift, the two of them taking off towards where they had come from. "You guys have to follow him."

Thankfully they were all too shocked to argue. Miroku and Sango mounted Kilala and followed Swift. Inuyasha gave be a stern look as if he wanted to say something but didn't have the words for it.

"I will avenge all Naraku has wronged." I said to the half demon. He gave a nod before taking the now crying Kagome and following the others. I could feel Sesshomaru's stare burning the back of my skin and couldn't face him for fear I would lose my resolve. "They're going to need your leadership." I said as I transformed into my larger true form to head towards Naraku. As I turned around I was greeted by Sesshomaru in his true form as well.

'You will not face Naraku alone.' He growled, his eyes glowing brighter than I had seen them before. 'I have lost you twice, I am not going to let it happen a third time.'

'Trust me there is nothing I would like more than to have you fighting by my side but this is above either of our control.' I said mentally checking with Duma and she confirmed.

'I don't care.' He responded and I could feel Duma's impatience rising.

"_Lord Sesshomaru, if you wish for your pups to grow up within the safety of lands you control you will go to the coast and prevent the continental demons from taking over._" Duma took over my voice her words short and clipped in annoyance. "_The longer you stand here arguing the more danger you put those you care for._" She added. "_Your mate will not be alone, but this fight is not for you._"

'I warn you dragon, if any harm befalls my mate I will hunt you down even in the depths of hell.' Sesshomaru snarled the intensity of his aura passing over like a sandstorm.

"_Well noted Lord Sesshomaru._" Duma said before receding back into my mind.

'Kazuko.' Sesshomaru said his voice still on edge.

'I have to do this.' I said not able to say anything else.

He gave a silent nod and took off towards the coast.

I watched him go for a while before Duma reminded me that we had to go. I sighed and took off towards Naraku's aura. It was the strongest thing I had ever felt, and the further I went the more diseased and desecrated the land got.

'_At least I have your help.'_ I told Duma as the ground stung the pads of my paws.

'_Not just me. Help is coming, though you will have to hold off Naraku until they arrive.'_ Duma said and I wondered who she meant. Reading my thoughts she answered. _'You will see. But for now do you still have the incantation that Koru should have given you.'_ Duma asked and I confirmed that I did. _'Good you will need it to help you stall against Naraku.'_

A visible layer of miasma could now be seen coating the earth as we drew close enough to see the outline of a massive figure ahead.

'Naraku.' I growled out to no one in particular. As I got closer I had to stop. A swarm of demons were assembled before Naraku watching the retreating western forces.

"The west has realized it cannot stand against us. The other lands will soon follow." Naraku's voice thundered out as the massive figure moved through the swarm. I couldn't get a good look, Naraku's aura coated everything in a dark smog. "Zao is approaching from the coast we will corner Sesshomaru's forces and attack from both sides."

'_You must begin your attack. Use the incantation to call your ancestors.' _Duma ordered. I transformed to my human form and pulled out the paper. I looked at it briefly in wonder at the kind of power a simple piece of paper with some writing on it could hold. _'Do not dally, Kazuko.'_ Duma reminded and I nodded.

"Here goes." I muttered and tossed the paper into the air. "Jiro! Eri! Noro!" I shouted. A blinding light surrounded the paper before spreading out to the surroundings. When the light died down I was standing face to face with the former Ryu-Inu Shogakkos. "We don't have much time." I said quickly remembering Koru's warning. "A demon named Naraku has absorbed Toro and is now preparing to take over all four regions if we don't stop him. Help is coming I just need you guys to help me stall. Let's go." My words were moving so quickly that I wasn't entirely sure that they understood me. I transformed back into my larger form and could feel the others doing the same behind me.

"What is your strategy, Kazuko?" Eri asked and I waited to hear seething hatred towards me, but all I could pick up was grim determination.

"I don't exactly have one." I admitted a bit sheepishly.

"Wait." Eri called and each of us came to a stop. "We have to have a plan. Tell me everything you know."

"I already did. I don't know any more." I said. Eri gave a huff but looked off toward the horde of demons.

"Too many to surround but we still need to spread out so they can't corner us together." She said looking around. "Noro's the strongest so he's going to hit straight on. When the demons start to descend on him Kazuko and I will attack from opposite ends. Hopefully that will split them up and while they're distracted Noro will back off and Jiro will go in. We'll rotate out and back in one by one so no one gets overwhelmed. Each time you attack try to get as far away from the others as possible to spread them as thin as we can." I was impressed by her planning in such a short time. She sounded like a trained general. "Kazuko head as far to the left as you can while staying within earshot, I'll go right. Noro is going to attack, give it a few moments to get the horde moving and then go. Jiro switch with Noro once we go. Stay small and stay low until it's time." We all nodded and separated.

I shrunk down and stayed low like going as far left as I could while still picking up on the sounds of the others moving closer. The horde was either too excited or Naraku's aura was too strong for them to notice us until Noro's snarling howl broke above their cheering.

"Kill it." Naraku's voice rang out dismissively. Soon the snarls and thundering growls of Noro were echoing through the surrounding area above the din of the horde. The fighting went on for about a minute, as I was counting seconds in my head, before I heard Eri's howl cut through and I could see the outline of her larger form in the miasma cloud. I returned to my larger form and gave a howl of my own, charging into the horde of demons. As Eri had predicted the demons began splitting up not sure which of us was the bigger threat. Seeing the others unleashing their elements I began using mine but was stopped by Duma.

'_Save your strength for later, I will give you my power for now.'_ She said as I felt her leaking power into me. I began attack the demons with the given powers feeling as if my energy were inexhaustible. I wondered how there could be so many left, had the western army really killed so little or had there been so much from the beginning?

'_When is this help you said coming?'_ I asked Duma.

'_Soon,'_ was all I got in response.

**~Shippo~**

"Swift I think that's the last of the forces." I said as we came from alerting more of the western forces to report to the coast.

'Yes that's all of them. We should head to the coast.' Swift responded back.

"Maybe we should go check on Kazuko first. That way we can tell Lord Sesshomaru she's ok." I suggested though I wanted to check for myself more than for the western lord.

'Kazuko can handle herself, if we go we'll only be a distraction.' Swift said shaking off his wings to take off. He had just bunched his muscles to leap when something went shooting by. Suddenly I was shook off as Swift fell to his side a pained snarl leaving through his clenched fangs.

"Swift what's wrong?" I called coming over to the guardian.

'My side.' He groaned and I noticed dark liquid spreading out around him.

"You're bleeding badly. Turn over so I can see." I said helping to push the guardian onto his other side. As he turned over I could see the source of his bleeding. A huge gash was running from the base of his tail to the base of his wing, where something was stuck. On closer inspection I recognized it as a bone scythe like the ones the slayers of Sango's village used. But what would one of those be doing here? "We're not too far from the village, do you think you can make it, or should I go get Katina?"

'Move!' Swift barked out and swatted me away with his tail. I winced from the impact as some of his scales scratched my skin. But I didn't think about it for long as I watched in horror as another bone scythe shot passed the spot I had just been in and buried itself into Swift's chest. 'Shippo you have to get out of here.' He coughed splatters of blood onto the ground. The new wound began leaking heavier than the last. 'It's too late for me, it's pierced my heart.'

I was in a frozen state of shock as I looked past him to where the weapons had come from. I could see humans on horseback appearing.

"Die demon!" One shouted as they closed in. There were at least ten of them each holding weapons at the ready. "It's time the world was rid of your foul kind."

I didn't recognize their appearance or even their voice, but the scent I knew. It had never left my mind, I could have picked it out through a crowded village.

"Rin."

**~Kazuko~**

The horde was thinning but very slowly. I doubted we had even taken out a fourth of them but there was no stopping.

'Kazuko.' I clawed through another group of demons and turned to see Jiro making his way towards me.

'Jiro.' I responded and moved towards him.

'The pull of the spirit world is calling. We do not have long left to fight beside you.' He informed and as I got closer I noticed that I could see through him.

'How much longer do you have?' I asked snapping off a few demons that were trying to climb Jiro.

'Not long.' He said and I could see that with each passing second I could see more and more through his fading form. Eri and Noro were also fighting their way towards us. The demons were surrounding us as we found ourselves back to back. 'It has been an honor Lady Kazuko. We have done all we can.' Jiro said through he never stopped fighting the swarming horde. 'I wish we could have done more.'

'You have done more than I could have hoped for. Thank you, all of you.' I said looking at each.

'You've got this. We'll be watching.' Noro said still managing to look every bit as goofy even as he slaughtered countless demons.

'I underestimated you.' Eri said with a nod in my direction.

'No, you had me right at first.' I admitted. 'But thanks anyway.' I watched as they faded to the point where I could not actually see them anymore but I could still see their attacks taking down demons.

'Where is your help? We're hanging on as long as we can but the pull is becoming too strong.' Jiro's voice echoed from beside me.

'I don't know, but I'll do what I can until they get here.' I responded.

'Fair well Kazuko.' Jiro said before the area was bathed in a bright expanding light. When the light died away the demons within a one hundred yard radius were annihilated, giving me some room to work with and the three former Shogakkos were gone.

This caught Naraku's attention enough to bring him into action instead of just watching. I watched as the miasma around him swirled to form something. As the miasma formed it revealed a creature about twice my size. It reminded me of the Minotaur we had seen in a textbook. It had the lower body of a pull, including a lashing tail and hooves that looked to be made out of mountains. The upper body was that of Naraku's with a few changes. Instead of two arms he had four and instead of two eyes he had eight that glowed red. Two horns the size of horses protruded from his skull. A glowing Sacred Jewel was gleaming in his chest, surrounded by some type of bone barrier. The horde of demons began to pull back as Naraku made his way towards me.

"Poor pup left alone." His voice was distorted though still distinctly Naraku. "This is your last change. Join me or die."

'No, to both.' I barked.

"I used to find it frustrating when you demons would use your language to talk behind my back. But now I see I had nothing to worry about." Naraku laughed. "So be it. Your death will be my first show of power now that I am a true demon."

'You'll never be a true demon, just a pathetic man relying on the powers of others.' I growled.

He moved faster than I thought he could with such a massive form. His arms extended further than any normal arm would have, and I found his hands closing in around my throat. I was dragged a few yards before lifted up by the neck, feeling him squeezing my air passages close.

"All of you looked down on me because I was born human." Naraku growled as he pulled me to eye level. "Just because I wasn't born like the rest of you, you called me weak and ignored me. Now I am the most powerful being to have ever existed. I will make all of you pay."

I tried to swing by hind paws to batter him away, but he caught them with his other set of hands. Even with Duma's help I could feel the dreaded darkness closing in on me, driving me to lashing out with my front paws. I scored a few marks but almost as soon as I gashed him the wounds healed over.

'_You're help is almost here, I can feel it. Just hang on for a little longer.' _Duma's voice pushed through the enclosing mist to reach me. _'Do it for Sesshomaru and your pups.' _Her words kept me fighting even as my paws began to feel like weights. Naraku's disgusting laugh surrounded me, as he choked the last of the air out of me.

His laughter was cut off to be replaced by a yell of outrage. Though my vision was blurred I could see that something had cut through one of Naraku's arms, severing it from his body. Again something shot by cutting off the other arm allowing me to break again. I pushed back as he had to let go of my hind paws to fight whatever was attacking him. I hit the ground with a hard thud, but scrambled to my paws as quickly as I could, greedily sucking in the air I had been deprived of. The world around me came back into focus as I felt something propping me up.

'Kazuko are you fit to fight?' I recognized the growl in my ear to be Koru's. I turned, a bit stiffly, to see a red wolf with black streaks leaning against my side to keep me standing. It took me a few more seconds to gather my breath completely though I did nod.

'So you're my help? I guess it could be worse.' I wheezed out.

'Yea I am.' Koru said pulling away though watching me as if seeing if I was going to be able to keep myself up on my own. 'This is Naraku? Why does he also feel of Toro?'

'He absorbed him, he absorbs demons, so be careful.' I warned shaking myself off. Naraku was too distracted growing his severed limbs to attack us.

"Filthy mutts." Naraku's voice called out as he came for us, freshly healed.

'Spread out.' I barked. Koru jumped left and I went right. For a moment Naraku was unsure of which of us to go after but settled for coming after me. I guess he figured he had gotten close to killing me before so I would be easier to get. When he turned his back towards Koru, the Ryu-Okami unleashed a wave of fire burning Naraku's back. A roar of pain and annoyance sounded from Naraku before he turned back to Koru. I brought down twin lightning bolts on his horns.

"Enough play." Naraku said calling the watching horde back into action. The horde focused their attention on Koru freeing up Naraku to take me on. "We finish this here. I've grown tired of you and your companions' constant interference." His eyes glowed brighter and his aura pulsed so strong that it even disintegrated some of his own horde. It felt as if I were being burned but I refused to let it show.

'_I've given you all the help that I can. The battle with Naraku will be on your own. I will only be able to keep your energy from being completely used up in the fight to protect your pups.'_ Duma said and I felt her power receding. A chill made my fur stand on end.

This was it.


	45. Prophecy Fulfilled

**Howdy!  
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**I know this is late and I do apologize. But please know that I will finish this story. It's just taking longer than expected. Plus I've already begun work on the sequel and possibly a third installment. Not sure if I want to make it a trilogy or not.**

**Anyway! I know y'all just want to get to the story so **

**I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'!**

**Enjoy! ^^**

* * *

><p><strong>~Prophecy Fulfilled~<strong>

**~Shippo~**

I couldn't bring myself to do anything other than stand dumbfounded looking at Rin and the other slayers around her. They were wearing armor from Sango's village but each had a crudely drawn crest of three hawks making a 'Z' over their hearts.

"It's a small demon." One of the other slayers said, though I didn't know which. My eyes refused to move from Rin's, she seemed as surprised to see me as I was to see her.

"Well go ahead and kill it so we can move on. Can't you feel that power radiating from the east? I want to get as far away from it as possible. I saw most of the armies moving westward, we can follow them and plan an ambush." Another voice said.

"Wait." When this person spoke Rin's eyes left mine to gaze at the man speaking. Her eyes held such a strong admiration for him that I felt anger and jealousy stir within me. "Look at this demon's clothing. He's not just an ordinary solider. He must have some close relation to the western lord. We can capture him and use him. He may have valuable information."

"He lives in the western castle. He is a part of the western lord's inner pack." Rin said as I returned my gaze to her with shock that she would work with these people.

"Grab him." The man Rin seemed to admire said.

Two of the slayers dismounted and approached me. I had to pull myself into action and tear my attention away from Rin.

"Halt! I am a royal messenger for the western army. You will leave me be, and hope that Lord Sesshomaru shows you mercy for killing one of his allies." I said in the best voice I could. Thankfully it wasn't still the squeaky voice from years ago, but it still sounded somewhat childish.

The slayers laughed and continued for me with weapons drawn. I had no choice but to draw my daggers. I knew we weren't supposed to harm any humans if it was avoidable, but it didn't look like these humans were giving me a choice.

"He thinks he can take us all on." The apparent leader spoke again from his horse. "Feel free to rough him up, just make sure he's still alive when you're done."

One of the slayers came at me with sword drawn, slashing downward as if he meant to cut me in half. Apparently keeping me alive wasn't the top priority after all. I leapt backwards and engaged the blades of my daggers with my fox fire. I knew I needed to get to the coast. Who knew how many of these rouge slayers were out there ambushing demons. Plus I knew I didn't want to attack with Rin there. I didn't want her to see me as just another human-killing demon. The second slayer on foot charged me with a long bone scythe. I deflected it with an 'x' block with my daggers, pushing the man away slightly.

I summoned three copies of myself with a blast of smoke so that I could get away. The copies should keep the slayers occupied until I was a safe distance away. It was going to take longer with Swift gone, and I couldn't transform or else I'd give myself away. I placed my daggers away and took off at a full sprint for the coast.

I hadn't gotten a full mile away before something wrapped around my ankle and yanked it backwards. Almost right away I could feel the bones in my ankle popping out of place and I ended up face down and sliding to a stop. I turned over to see the slayers once again advancing upon me. How could they have gotten through my copies that quickly?

"Your tricks still need practice fox. None of your clones had demonic auras. Do you think we are that stupid to fall for such a trick?" The leader taunted, though he wasn't the one with his weapon wrapped around my ankle. I followed the chain to see Rin holding the other end of it.

"Why are you doing this Rin?" I finally asked.

"Demons are nothing but a menace." The leader responded instead of Rin.

"I wasn't talking to you." I snarled at the man.

"My wife does not speak to filth such as you." The leader snapped back.

Again I was frozen by shock as my eyes locked on Rin. She gave a look that I thought seemed apologetic but then she covered it with a cold glare.

"This one is going to be too much trouble just kill it." The leader said dismissively and turned his horse.

Rin pulled another chained bone scythe from a harness on her horse and began swinging it over her head. I couldn't bring myself to stop her, because I didn't want to chance hurting her. Instead I closed my eyes as the sound of the weapon going through the air reached my ears.

**~Kazuko~**

I stood growling at Naraku, his filthy tentacles seeking to engulf me. For now alternating balls of lighting and fire were keeping him at bay but I knew I couldn't keep this up forever. Eventually I would have to go on the offensive, but I couldn't figure out how. Each time I attacked him, he just flung me back or blasted my face with miasma, I was beginning to feel as if he were playing with me. Koru was too consumed with trying to make sure the horde didn't overwhelm him or get to me, to help fight Naraku. I was beginning to wish I had asked Sesshomaru to come but I knew that this was a fight only I and Koru could fight.

"If you surrender now I will allow you to live and serve as a pet to my empire." Naraku taunted with a chuckle.

'How very generous of you.' I snarled through clench teeth. I bunched my muscles and sprang for his underside, coating my fur in fire and biting down with electrified fangs. This time I managed to get past the swarm of tentacles and get actual flesh on his leg. His blood felt like acid on my tongue and down my throat, but I refused to let go, instead sinking my fangs in as deep as they would go. The roar Naraku let out was deafening, as he thrashed to make me let go. I managed to get my hind paws planted to work at pushing Naraku while still trying to rip his leg off. Suddenly I felt his leg pull back sharply before a hoof caught me square in the gut kicking me across the field. I skidded to a stop on my side, killing a few more of the horde from the impact. Koru was by my side in seconds helping me stand.

'Did Jiro give you a mark at the training grounds?' Koru panted, and I noticed that if I looked closely his fur was covered in blood though it was well hidden by the darkness of his fur.

'Yea.' I responded after a brief pause.

'I think it's time you used it.' Koru suggested. 'It's time I used mine too. You remember what to do? Focus all of your elements into the mark and allow the cage of your inner beast to break completely free.'

'Ok. See you on the other side.' I backed away a little and did as Koru said. I was, for the first time, truly thankful for the harsh training as I was able to redirect all of my energy into the spot I remembered the mark being.

I felt a feeling similar to the one of when I was going through level two with Koru. I looked down in mild surprise as my body began to lose its solidity. I lifted a paw and could see straight through it yet when I put it back down I could feel it and the ground underneath me compress under it. At the same time I was becoming bigger, growing to around two times my size. My inner demon gave a roar from inside that sent a shiver running down my spine. It was so much more powerful than I had ever imagined, the power coursing through my blood now felt unstoppable. For a moment I could see things the way Naraku did. With this much power, who could stop me if I wanted to take over everything?

'_Focus Kazuko!' _Duma's voice cut through my thoughts.

'Sorry.' I growled out. My body was at the point where it was still visible but I could see through with no problem. Underneath my fur, I did not see organs or bones, but instead each of the five elements flashed, streaking before disappearing and reappearing somewhere else.

'Totosai did well by your blade.' Koru's bark sounded from beside me. Part of me was a bit irked as I looked over and despite my growth he was still just barely bigger than me. He had the same transparency that I had, and I could see his elements swirling like a storm within in. As I looked over him I could make out that he now had horns, each about the size of a tree, yet instead of being made out of bone, they were made out of metal. They were like giant spears that curved forward slightly.

'My blade?' I asked futilely trying to see if I had horns like he did.

'Claws.' Koru responded guessing what I was doing.

I looked down to my claws and could see that they were not the usual claws, but made of steel like Koru's horns. Each claw shone with some unknown light given the darkness of our surroundings. As I turned my head I could see that it was only on my front paws, but that was more than enough. I flexed the claws and scored marks in the ground larger than Inuyasha's Wind Scar.

'How long does this last?' I questioned my growl much deeper and menacing.

'Till we can't keep going.' Koru responded, his voice sounded like two mountains being scrapped together.

"Then you're puny display of power won't last long." Naraku said as he advanced upon us, killing his own horde with each step without any acknowledgement. The horde seeing this began to back away, most probably realizing that the fight had gotten too far out of their power. They retreated to the edges of the landscape, some flat out running away. Naraku glanced over his shoulder, a look of disgust on his face. "Cowards."

Koru growled loud and low, his body pressed down as he slinked in an arc around Naraku. I followed suit going around to Naraku's other side. Once Koru and I were across from each other we exchanged a glance I knew we were going at this once and for all. Naraku's eyes followed each of us though he didn't move his head. A silence fell over the landscape that pricked my fur with anticipation of the fight. Not a single word was exchanged, Naraku gave a chuckle and the battle started.

Without either of us realizing it Naraku had wormed some of his tentacles into the ground so that as they shot up behind us. We were forced to turn and defend or be absorbed. As I turned and unleashed a wall of fire that scorched at least a mile into the ground I felt claws rake my back, sinking in so deeply that I could feel them brush my spine. A roar of pain left my muzzle and I whirled upon Naraku, using my own claws to slice at a bunch of his tentacles. As my claws came into contact with the flesh, they gave off a yellowish glow. Naraku's eyes widened slightly as he looked down at the charred base of his tentacles and I noticed they were growing back at a much slower rate. He gave a snarl and charged for me.

Koru was upon him before he fully reached for me. The Ryu-Okami gave a powerful leap over Naraku, landing towards me and Naraku at his back. Before Naraku could take advantage of this, Koru kicked up his rear paws and gave Naraku a blow straight to the stomach. Naraku jostled back, each step creating craters in the ground. I jumped forward. I sunk my claws into his shoulders while snapping at his neck. He pulled back enough to avoid my bite, but at least my claws were slowly slashing down from his shoulders to his chest. He grabbed my left paw and wrist with two arms, a pained but sick light sparking his eyes. Before I could think to pull away, he jerked one hand and then the other down. The pain hit like an explosion, sending jolts jump and through my body.

He went for the right side and I had no choice but to jump away or end up with two broken paws. As I landed and the weight was placed on the injured paw, I instinctively curled it into my body causing me to lose balance and stumble onto my side.

'Kazuko?' Koru asked leaning over. 'What did he do?'

'He broke it.' I motioned to the paw clasped against my body at an awkward angle. I worked to get up, making it up to a sitting position, trying to place the paw down but jerking it back up again as more pain flared.

'Pack some earth around it to keep it in place and use the wind to walk on instead of the ground.' He growled softly in my ear, keeping his eyes on Naraku.

"How very fragile you mortals are." Naraku sneered, though the wounds on his chest were not healing either.

'I wish Kagome were here.' I panted.

'What?' Koru asked fighting off some of Naraku's tentacles.

'She's the mate of Sesshomaru's brother. She can sense the Shikon jewel and purify it. It has to be what's fueling Naraku. If we can get the jewel away from him, this will become a much fairer fight.' I explained, standing after using the advice Koru had given me.

'We'll just have to attack him until one of us gives up.' Koru jumped for Naraku, his horn piercing in the same spot my claws had scratched.

I aimed for Naraku's legs again, the pain still strong but now bearable. He was beating at Koru the two of them seeming to match blow for blow. I clawed at his inner thighs to provide Koru with some relief, though this time I learned from my mistakes and when Naraku yanked his leg back to kick, I dove out of the way before he could hit me.

We continued like this for what seemed like days. Neither Naraku nor we giving in, though Naraku looked considerable better. His wounds were healing so slowly that he still looked pretty bad, yet he still appeared to be the least injured of the three. Our seals kept us going but I could feel that they were draining us.

'_Kazuko.'_ Duma's voice cut through the fog of pain as I slashed one of Naraku's arms. _'I cannot locate the jewel within Naraku and I have been trying.' _She explained. _'You are going to have to deal him a blow so lethal that even the jewel cannot save him. It is the only thing I can think of to stop him.'_

Before I could ask her what kind of wound her presence retreated again until I could no longer feel it over the power of the mark. I relayed the message to Koru and he gave a snort.

'As if it's just as easy as saying what needs to be done.' He growled.

'You're the general. You must have some kind of strategy for this.' I countered.

'I plan for armies of hundreds to thousands attacking armies of hundreds to thousands. Not two Shogakkos vs one super demon.' He retorted. 'But I'll come up with something. Just hold him off while I think.'

'Don't hurt yourself.' I leaped back at Naraku as Koru remained back grumbling to himself and making marks in the ground.

"Do you really think some hastily made plan is going to stop me? I have been planning this for decades. Nothing can stop me. I have thought of everything." Naraku boasted. I was more than pleased to cut him off by slashing through his tentacles and leaving a nasty burn on his shoulder. I managed to sink my claws into his neck and ripped out a huge part. I felt a wave of satisfaction as I watched him clutch his neck and the ooze he called blood run down his side. He coughed blood and gargled slightly. He swore and sunk his claws into my belly as I pushed away.

The pain was explosive and I realized that he hadn't only pierced me, but had also released a substantial amount of miasma into the wound. My vision swam and I stumbled backwards, my limbs beginning to take minds of their own. The other wounds plus the building fatigue was speeding the poison through my system.

'Kazuko?!' Koru's voice sounded like he was speaking through water. I craned my head to meet his stare and wondered why he seemed so much taller now. It took a moment before I realized I was laying on my side instead of standing.

A familiar yet unidentifiable smell penetrated through the pain as I could feel myself slipping and something pressed against my shoulder. Naraku and Koru were speaking but I couldn't tell what was being said. A numbness started to crawl over me and I could feel the dark fog descending. I began to panic and fight, not wanting to die again.

'_At ease Kazuko.' _Duma's voice was the only clear thing. _'You have done your part. Rest and when you awake all will be well.'_

'_My…p…my…pu…p.'_ Even my mind couldn't form the words I wanted.

'_The little ones inside you are fine. Rest now, for their sake.'_

I didn't have much of a choice as I felt myself slipping away. I just had to trust that Duma knew what she was talking about and that Koru could finish this without me. I couldn't help the feeling that I was letting everyone down as I fell out of consciousness.

**~Koru~**

'Kazuko?!' I had watched as she had scored a pretty heavy blow to Naraku and then him strike her. She stumbled before collapsing onto her side. She let out small whines and whimpers as if she were trying to say something, but nothing intelligible came out. She wavered for a few second more before I could tell that she had passed out. Her transparent form once again became solid and I flinched as I saw the wound in her stomach turning her fur red. I pressed my nose into her shoulder, taking in her scent. 'Hang in there. I'll get you out of here.' Naraku's chuckle sent my blood boiling to the point I felt it would melt my bones.

"Tell me wolf. Does Sesshomaru know that you're in love with his mate?" He taunted and I growled low. "I've been around enough demons to recognize that scent you're giving off. You love her." He advanced and I placed myself between him and Kazuko. "Then this will be all the sweeter when I make you watch me kill her."

His words sent me into a frenzy that stirred me with more power than I knew I had. I let out a howl that created a crater around us. 'We finish this now spider.'

"I intend to."

**~Shippo~**

Metal sounded against bone.

I opened my eyes to see Ryo. He stood before me one sword out with the end of Rin's bone scythe wrapped around it. He looked down at me with concern shadowing his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked and I gave a brief nod. "Can you get out of here?" He asked looking at my foot that was twisted awkwardly. He used his free sword to cut through the chain wrapped around it.

I went to stand but found that I could only hop, unable to put much pressure on the injured foot.

Katina seemingly appeared from nowhere and I suddenly felt her hand lightly on my shoulder as she kneeled to check the foot.

"It's only pulled out of place, not broken." She informed me. "Sit. I will fix it." I did as she said and she gave me an apologetic look. "This is going to be very unpleasant." She said, though I didn't think much of it as I looked past her to where Ryo was taking on the slayers. He was handling himself admirably, able to stave off all of the slayers from getting to us.

A low growl rumbled through my chest as Katina fixed my foot. Thankfully a soothing feeling washed through me immediately after Katina's hands glowing as she went over my foot.

"Let's go." Katina whispered to me. "Ryo will handle them." She helped me stand before transforming to her smaller true form, looking to me to do the same.

"Don't let them get away!" The leader of the slayers called out.

"You're not going anywhere near them." Ryo said transforming into his larger true form, forcing the slayer's to backup and pay attention to him instead of us.

I watched Rin, too many emotions to count going through my mind. Betrayal was the strongest and I couldn't understand why she would do this.

"Ryo!" I shouted. "Just please don't kill them." I said, earning surprised looks from the slayers and a sympathetic look from Ryo.

'Go Shippo.' He growled.

I transformed and followed Katina away from the group. Before I was out of sight I stopped and gave a questioning look at Rin. She glared, and sent her scythe sailing at me, though Ryo intercepted it.

'I'm so sorry.' Katina said briefly pressing herself against me as we ran.

'How did you know I was in trouble?' I asked not wanting to talk about Rin, knowing that was what she was referring to.

'As head mage, I have a link to all the guardians and I know when a guardian dies and returns to the sanctuary.' Katina said gravely. 'When I felt Swift's return, I knew something bad must have happened, so I grabbed Ryo and rushed to the last place I felt him before his return. Once we got there and saw his body we followed your scent hoping it wasn't too late.'

'Thank you.' I said though I wasn't entirely sure that I wanted to be saved.

'You're family Shippo, you're a part of our pack. We'll always look out for you.' Katina said.

**~Naraku~**

I was almost saddened that Sesshomaru wasn't here. Almost. If only to see his face as he watched another demon care for and protect his mate with the unmistakable scent of bonding radiating off the wolf. Yet I was satisfied with seeing Kazuko on the brink of death. Given the amount of miasma I had released into her system, there was no possible way she would be able to survive on her own without help. And I was going to make sure that help never came. But first I would have to deal with the wolf. I knew nothing could stop me now, not even the prophecy Toro's blind seer had tried to spook me with.

"_The spider will weave many in its web and cause great division. It will seek to control all, but it shall fail. Its demise will come on the wings of a dragon, between the fangs of a beast and in the paws of one who controls the storm."_

Kazuko was the only one who matched the prophecy, and with her out of the way it couldn't come true. I watched the wolf charging towards me, his eyes blazing red. That damn dog had done a number on my neck and shoulder and the wounds weren't closing nearly fast enough. I needed to dispose of these two quickly and recover. If Zao saw me like this, that bear would back out of our deal and try to take over everything for himself.

I allowed the tentacles I had left to attack, worming their way around the wolf. He used the odd looking horns to slash through some, and I cursed knowing for whatever reason they wouldn't grow back quickly enough. He charged, those damn horns leading. I turned my body and captured him in a head lock, skidding us both to a stop. He growled and tried to yank away but I kept my grip firm. I squeezed as hard as I could chocking the beast. I could feel his body beginning to heat up, he was using the same trick Kazuko was using. Gritting my teeth I kept my hold even as the flames on his fur were scorching my arm. It wasn't until I felt him go limp and the fire die away that I finally yanked my arm away.

I watched the burn heal just fine, and cursed whatever spell the wolf's horns and Kazuko's claws were made of. With a smirk I turned to see the wolf's unconscious form, but where it was supposed to be was just empty space. The feel of two blades piercing my back told me where he had moved to. He began dragging his horns up, and I was forced to push away landing on a knee facing him. The wolf began to jump again and I released a wave of miasma to keep him at bay. I checked myself and could tell that he had cut through bones and if he had gone up much further he would have split my heart. I cursed the decision to return my heart to this body. I had thought with the full jewel and absorbing Toro, this body would be indestructible. It had been until these damn canines showed up. I didn't have the strength left to send my heart away and I didn't have a set vessel ready to receive it.

'You die now spider.' The wolf reared up and let out a roar. A chill ran through me as I watched his wings spread out, their appearance completely dragon-like with scales.

_Its demise will come on the wings of a dragon…_

I raised an arm slowly the loss of blood affecting me more than I had expected.

…_between the fangs of a beast…_

His fangs sunk into my neck on the side opposite of Kazuko's strike. He pulled back and brought his horns down separating the arm from the rest of my body.

…_and in the paws of one who controls the storm. _

The wind picked up around us and I watched as he took to the sky. A hole formed in the dark clouds. He roared once again and a tornado descended. It was not an ordinary tornado. It sparked and swirled with each of the five elements. Thunder rose in volume until it drowned out everything. I couldn't move. I had lost too much blood and I couldn't heal.

This couldn't be happening. I had done everything I needed to win.

"You doubted my words spider." I turned in surprise to see the seer who had cursed me standing beside me. As if reading my thoughts she shook her head with her blind gaze concentrated on me. "I did not curse you. Your fate was decided before I came along, when you made your pack with the demons, Onigumo, you destined yourself for this."

Fear, something I had not felt in nearly a century, gripped my heart and soul. I had always been afraid of death, it was what had led to my deal with the demons all those years ago.

The pain of the tornado was surprisingly brief before there was nothing.


	46. Goodbye

**Howdy!**

**Wow, two chapters in one month? I must be losing it. Ha!**

**I want to thank y'all for all the great reviews, especially as we get this close to the end of the story. I'm still aiming for the 50 chapters mark, but I may run over that or just have like super long chapters. I haven't decided yet.**

**If you can believe it, I am already working on the sequel. Yay, sequel! Right now I'm writing it in third person, and then I thought what if you guys prefer the first person style? So I figured I'd ask y'all. This story has been in first person, and if you want to see a sample of my way of doing third person writing check out 'Alphas and Omegas'. You don't have to read all of it, though I'd like you too. But just read a chapter or two to get a few for how I write in that style. Then just let me know which you prefer. If there is no response I'll assume you guys are okay with the third person style. **

**I think that covers everything, so I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

* * *

><p><strong>~Goodbye~<strong>

**~Koru~**

I had to get Kazuko to help. On unsteady paws I crawled more than walked over to where she was. My already red and black fur hid the large amount of blood now soaking through but I could feel the wounds sharply. The power of the seal was beginning to fade, and I silently begged it to last a little longer till I could find help.

I placed my nose against her shoulder and jerked back at the feel of sheer cold that radiated from her. Hesitantly I placed my ear close to see if I could detect breathing or a heartbeat. She couldn't be dead.

"Be at ease." I looked above to see where the voice had come from. I found myself face to face with an enormous dragon. Involuntarily I let out a warning growl at her closeness. "She is alive." The dragon continued as if not fazed by my display. "Barely." It added causing me to fall silent. "Her wounds are great and they need immediate attention. I will go for help, you must remain here and protect her and I will bring help to you." I gave a hesitant nod not seeing any other option available. The dragon returned my nod and flew off. Its body cut through the miasma clouds, bearing the soft glow of the night sky.

I scanned the surroundings for danger. Having seen the fall of Naraku the remaining minions of his had fled. Nothing could be sensed for miles around. Gently I crouched and laid down pressing my body against Kazuko's. Her scent was a comfort I knew I shouldn't have been taking comfort in, but at the moment I could not stop myself. If only this were another life.

**~Inuyasha~**

The continental demons proved to be a much bigger problem than expected. We were losing more allies to them than we had to Naraku and Toro's army. Thankfully we were also taking out large numbers of their horde.

I had to admit, strategy was in our favor. The demons we fought weren't an army, simply a group. They just attacked with no thought to working together, a few even killed each other if they stood too close to one of our own they were attacking.

Slowly, much too slowly, we were pushing them back. The northern army had shown up and was helping drive back the continentals. Sesshomaru and the northern lord were engaging the leader of this horde a bear demon that, while smaller in size, was one of the fiercest fighters I have ever seen.

I sensed one of the Ryu-Inu returning with Shippo. Kagome went over to check on them, it looked like Shippo was limping. I unleashed another Wind Scar to clear a path and made my way over to them.

"He's going to be okay, just a little pain until he can get it rested." The Ryu-Inu, Katina, said now in her more human form. Shippo changed back as well though I had never seen him look so defeated.

"Where is Ryo?" Kagome asked.

"He took on the ones attacking Shippo so we could get away." Katina answered.

"Is it more continental demons or Naraku's minions?" I asked to see if we needed to prepare for an attack from behind.

"No." Katina said glancing down at Shippo.

"Then who attacked you?" My question was met with silence.

"Rin." Shippo said after a long pause. "She and a group of rouge slayers are killing off any demons they came across. They killed Swift."

I didn't know what to say and the silence showed that no one else did either. Shippo was staring off towards the direction that they had come from, his expression completely blank. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kagome beginning to reach for him and I quickly broke in.

"Go see what Masaru has for you to do, he's to the south." I said and shook my head when Kagome gave a questioning look. I knew what it was like to feel betrayed by someone you loved. He didn't want pity right now, just something to take his mind off it. "We'll go help Ryo." Shippo nodded and stood. He transformed into a raven and took off.

"He's going to need us." Kagome said softly and I shook my head.

"No he's going to need his pack." I said motioning towards Katina. "He's a part of their pack now, they'll help him. It's going to take longer than we have for him to get over this."

"Please take care of him." Kagome said to Katina, her voice choking.

"We will." Katina said. "I'll take you back to where Ryo was."

An earth splitting roar echoed from the east and a wave a power drifted over the battlefield bringing most of those fighting to a stop. Heads turned to see what was coming and even in the distance I could see that Sesshomaru and the northern lord had stopped their fight with the warlord.

The dragon from before quickly became visible spiraling through the sky. As it flew, the sky above it opened up revealing stars and the light of the moon. Its mouth opened and unleashed a wave of an unknown substance through the continental's forces closest to the shore. Every demon it touched was instantly evaporated, sending the rest of the continental demons into a panic. When the dragon opened its mouth again they began to scramble over each other to get out of the way. Many of the continental demons headed back for the sea, while a few tried to get through our forces to get away.

I watched as the dragon stopped where the three 'lords' were and focused on Sesshomaru. There was a moment of still before Sesshomaru nodded, turned and took off in the direction the dragon had come from. Through the crowd its gaze focused on me and I got an overwhelming feeling to follow Sesshomaru and bring Kagome and Katina with me.

"Let's go." I said to the two females, pulling Kagome to me and going after Sesshomaru. Katina was beside me, and one of the Ryu-Inu guardians was soon beside her.

**~Koru~**

I hadn't realized I had passed out until I was jerked awake by the feel of a strong aura rushing towards me. My first instinct was to protect Kazuko and I placed my body between hers and the approaching demon. But as I focused on the aura I recognized who it was and shame flushed through me leaving my skin feeling hot under the fur.

It was her mate. The only one who had the right to act as I was. He was the one she loved and I had to step aside. With each step feeling as if I were trying to pull myself apart I moved to the side and allowed Sesshomaru access to his mate.

The dog lord gave a sniff in my direction and his eyes flashed as he must have picked up on my bonding scent. I didn't want to fight him, for Kazuko's sake and the sake of the alliance between the west and the north. But I knew my scent was an challenge to him and I continued to back away and pointed my noise towards Kazuko's still form. His eyes followed and instantly I was no more than another tree in the surrounding as he rushed to her. My inner demon growled and whined as he nosed over her to see what was wrong.

One of the Ryu-Inu guardians and their healer were soon there as well, along with Sesshomaru's brother and his mate. The priestess and the healer went to Kazuko, conferring in hushed tones on what to do.

"Sesshomaru." The priestess called only to be ignored by the western lord. "Sesshomaru!" She shouted sharply to get his attention. "There is still too much miasma in the air and ground. If we're going to save her we have to get her out of here now. Is there any way to change her back? Because trying to move her in this form is not going to be easy." The priestess pointed out.

"You're right." The Ryu-Inu healer responded. "I don't know how to make her change, and trying to heal her wounds is going to be hard in this form too."

'She's still in this form because even in her unconscious state she is protecting herself.' The Ryu-Inu guardian mentioned from a distance. 'Once she feels safe enough she'll change back.'

Everyone in the clearing, excluding the dog lord, gazed at each other in question. With so much miasma floating around, along with her wounds, I couldn't think of a way to make her feel safe enough. While everyone silently questioned each other, Sesshomaru was growling something into Kazuko's ear. The wind lightly danced through the clearing and a small glow outlined Kazuko's form. Somehow she was changing back. Sesshomaru changed back quickly and picked her up the moment she was in her more human form. His forever cold expression moved from his mate in his arms to the healer and priestess.

"We'll take her to the village. It's far enough away from the fighting and guarded well." The Ryu-Inu healer said guessing his question.

"Should he come?" The priestess said motioning my way. "Even though it's hard to see through his dark fur, even I can smell the blood."

I didn't want to leave Kazuko, but my job here was done. There was no reason for me to stay. She looked so pale and I wanted to know that she would make it, but I didn't dare say anything to that truth. Instead I shook my head.

'The healers in the north can take care of me.' I growled and turned. I heard the priestess ask what I'd said as I dragged myself away. I looked over my shoulder once and saw the group disappearing to the west. At this moment I would have fought an army of Naraku's if it meant I didn't have to watch the one I loved being carried away by another male.

**~Kazuko~**

So many thoughts flowing through my head; some half formed, some complete but lacking in sense. I rose out of the depths of sleep and looked around. Standing and stretching I was surprised to see where I was.

I was back in the Shogakko training grounds. How did this happened? What happened to Naraku? What about everyone else? There was still a war going on, right?

"Be at ease Kazuko." Duma's voice had become so familiar that even without seeing or sensing her I knew who it was. She appeared in her human-like form. I could only catch her gaze briefly before the swirl of her eyes made me look away from the feeling of dizziness. "The war is over. Your allies have been successful." She added and I felt myself melt with relief.

"Naraku is gone?" I asked.

"Koru killed him. The jewel was destroyed along with his body. The continental demons have been pushed back, their leader greatly maimed. They will not be coming back." Duma said and I had to sit down. I couldn't believe it was all over. The relief didn't last long as a thought crossed my mind. I jumped to my feet and rushed for the grouping of statues. I weaved my way through them until I was standing in front of mine begging the gods that there was not a red mark on my mine.

"I'm not dead." I said hesitantly as no mark showed on the statue.

"You are not." Duma said appearing beside me with an amused look. "I have brought you here for another reason. Follow me."

I followed her though before we left the statues I noticed there were two new ones, a Ryu-Neko one and a Ryu-Tori one. Duma led the way back to the center of the clearing and I could still see pink splashes scattered throughout the grounds that were from my training. Once I was completely out of the statues I noticed that there were three other people also here.

"Koru!" I shouted recognizing one. All three turned and I noticed Koru shy away from me. The other two were younger, probably just hitting maturity. They must have been the Ryu-Neko and the Ryu-Tori Shogakkos. I moved towards Koru but he pulled back and I stopped, not understanding why he was acting in such a way.

"Shogakkos." Duma's voice was quiet but commanding and I put aside Koru from my thoughts. I felt people moving around me as the older Shogakkos began to take form around us, and it felt like when I had been formally accepted into their ranks. Noro, Eri and Jiro appeared around me and I smiled at each, even Eri returned it. "I have looked forward to this day." Duma resumed. "Each of you here has been handed a destiny that has not been the most desirable, yet you have handled it bravery, compassion and love. You have been forced to stay here to help train the protectors of your clans, without being able to join them in the afterlife. That ends today." Duma paused as gasps and cheers erupted among the Shogakkos. "From this day forth there will be no more Shogakkos born, these living four are the last of the line." She said and this time and uneasy silence fell on the group.

"Who will protect our clans?" One called.

"I want to see my clan, but I'd rather stay here than leave them unprotected." Another voiced said and was met with many shouts of agreement and a rumble of uncertainty rippled through the group.

"At ease protectors." Duma's voice held loving amusement. "Your clans will be fine. Your ranks were created to defend the land against Naraku, and that has been done. Now your clans can protect themselves." Some of the Shogakkos still looked unsure but they seemed to trust what the dragon said. "Now go to your clans, they are eager to see you."

A blinding light showed from behind the group and we all turned in awe. It was portal to the same land I had already visited twice. The Shogakkos gave a glance over silently asking permission to finally move on to the next world. Duma gave a nod and they began to fill into the space, an overwhelming feeling of excitement and joy surrounded the area as they disappeared into the light. Eventually there was only five of us left in the clearing: Duma, Koru, the Ryu-Neko Shogakko, the Ryu-Tori Shogakko and myself.

"How will they train if their ancestors are gone?" Koru asked.

"They will be visited in their dreams." Duma said.

"What about this place? If it is no longer needed as a training ground, what will become of it?" I questioned.

"As I created it, I will destroy it." Duma motioned to the shifting in the ground as the mountain began to crumble. "Return now and sleep well knowing your calling has been fulfilled." Duma said as the other three Shogakkos faded away.

"This is a dream." I whispered in question.

"Yes, but do not mistake that all of this is still real." Duma said walking away and I realized we were no longer on the mountain. Actually as I looked around I could see the mountain anywhere even though I knew we were in the right place.

"You didn't send me back." I pointed out.

"I wanted to speak with you alone." Duma called over her shoulder still heading away from me. I caught up and waited for her to say what she had to. "The battle has left me weak." She said and I was surprised, her aura felt just as strong as before. "I am in the final moments of my life. By the time the sun rises I will be no more of this world. Worry not about that, I have always known it would come to this. But there are a few things that must be done before I am no more."

"I'll help however I can." I offered.

"Naraku struck before I had expected. You did not have time to seek me out in the Belly of the Beast." Duma said and my mind clicked with the mountain she had told me to find her in during the council meeting.

"Honestly I had forgotten." I admitted.

"It is okay. Everything worked out. But I still need you to see the cave, it will serve you a great purpose." Duma said and once again I noticed that our surroundings had changed. No longer were we in the northern forest but now at the base of a mountain range I didn't recognize. It was completely flat and almost in a circular form from what I could see. There didn't seem to be any openings or ledges, just flat mountain side. "We are south west of the western castle." She changed into her dragon form and flew to the top and disappeared into the side of the mountain.

I changed as well and flew up looking for where she had gone. I flew to the same spot I was sure she had went and didn't see anything. Circling the area I still didn't see any place to enter the mountain, though I knew I felt her presence coming from within it. The top of the mountains all came together to form a point. Small cracks were in between but none of them were big enough to fit even a small child through. What the hell? Where had she gone?

"Press against the stone." Duma's voice called out, her voice echoing slightly.

I softly pressed my nose to the stone and felt it turn to a liquid-like substance. My entire body pressed through as if I were pushing through a waterfall without getting wet. Once inside I looked back to see the stone wall just as stiff as before, no trace of an entrance there. Turning back to find Duma I was amazed at what I saw. The area was the size of a village and tall enough that I could have stood on two legs in my largest form and still be a good twenty feet from the ceiling. Somehow it was covered in grass so soft that I didn't think I wanted to sleep in a bed again. Moonlight trickled in through the cracks in the ceiling giving the area a soothing glow.

Wandering through the space, there was a pond big enough to swim in even in my large form. A smaller grouping of rocks made a den that was lined with some kind of moss and grass mix. It felt so cozy I felt compelled to go in and never come out. It took a few mental slaps before I could drag myself away from it. This entire place made me feel as if nothing could ever bother me here.

"What is this place?" I asked as I rounded back to where Duma was in her human form and I returned to mine.

"It has been my home since my time here." She said.

"A wonderful home." I complimented.

"Yes. I will not be needing it anymore." She sighed and I felt bad.

"Is there no way you can stay?" I asked.

"No it is my time and do not mind me. Knowing one's fate does not make it easier." Duma said and I would have pressed the point if she hadn't so quickly changed the subject. "I wanted to show you this place. I think it will come in use."

"For what?" I wondered, though I couldn't deny the idea of living here was appealing. "I have to stay in the western castle."

"You will see." She said with a smile. "It only allows in those that the owner permits. Nothing can destroy its walls. I pass ownership to you."

"Thank you, but what will I do with it? Is it even in the borders of the western land?" I just couldn't think of any reason to move here. There was no way I could convince Sesshomaru to come here.

"You will know when the time is right." Duma said gazing at the light coming in through the ceiling. "It is time you return. Your loved ones are worried."

"You're leaving." I said and felt tears racing to reach my chin. Unable to help myself I rushed to the dragoness and wrapped my arms around her. "Thank you for everything! None of this could have been possible without you. You will be greatly missed."

She seemed surprised but still returned the hug. "You are a truly surprising person Shogakko Kazuko. I am glad I was able to meet you." I pulled away from her to see that were we back in the area that we had battled Naraku in. "On its own it will take this land a millennium to recover. This will be my final resting place." She stepped back and transformed into her dragon form. She circled over the area. "Farewell." She let loose a roar so powerful I had no doubt all of Japan heard it. She disappeared into the sky, the absence of her aura feeling like a vacuum and rain began to fall. With each drop I felt her presence and smiled.

"Farewell." I whispered to the rain.

**~Katina~**

It had been nearly two months since the battle with Naraku. Kazuko still hadn't woken up. She'd been passed out since we found her in the east. Thankfully all of her wounds have healed and we are pretty sure all of the miasma is out of her system. Her fever is gone and her breathing has evened out. Sage said he could still sense the pups within her, meaning she hadn't lost them. But everyone was still concerned that she hadn't woken.

Once the battle had ended we moved her from the Ryu-Inu village to the western castle, where a team of healers has been with her. I am still in charge, but I was glad for the help. Sesshomaru hadn't left her side since she was found. I was concerned that she wasn't eating. Even as a demon she needed some food, especially since she was pregnant.

"Lord Sesshomaru." I called as I entered the room that Kazuko was being kept in on the middle floor. They wanted to keep her as close to the healer's quarters as possible and no one was allowed on the top floor other than members of the royal families.

"Another ambassador from the south has arrived. A new lord of the east still needs to be appointed." Ryo announced from by my side.

"My answer remains the same." Sesshomaru said without bothering to move or even look up.

"As we figured." Ryo said leaving the room.

"How is her breathing?" I asked going up to Kazuko and watching the steady rise and fall of her chest. It still had a bit of a flutter but overall looked good.

"It has not changed." Sesshomaru answered his gaze lifting to bore into mine. Even after the amount of practice I've had dealing with the injured, especially during the war, Sesshomaru's stare was still something that left my skin feeling cold as if staring down death. I kept myself from wincing away and nodded.

"She'll wake when she's ready." I offered.

A roar sounded from outside. It was so loud that it had to be from just outside the gates. Hurried stamping of feet sounded as soldiers moved into place to confront whatever creature was there. For the first time since we had arrived I watched Sesshomaru look ready to move. His gaze went from the door to Kazuko. I knew his instincts had to be conflicted about whether to confront the threat or stay by his mate.

"Go. She's fine. Right now the only thing that can harm her is what is outside. We've cleared her body of any poison." I said and he still didn't move. "We'll protect her." As I spoke Ryo re-entered the room.

Sesshomaru was up and out of the door in a blink, most likely wanting to deal quickly with the threat then to return.

"Did you see anything outside?" I asked. It couldn't have been an attack from the south or north. Perhaps it was from the continent, one of their own lurking around waiting to strike.

"I could not see anything other than a large gathering of clouds to the east." Ryo answered coming over to me and placing an arm around my shoulder. "I do not know how he does it. I wouldn't be able to make it this long seeing you like that." He said motioning to where Kazuko was laying. I felt him stiffen and turned to see the area Kazuko was supposed to be in empty.

"Where did she go?" I shouted spinning to check the room. Ryo detached himself from me and was doing the same. "She was just there." I pointed to the spot dropping my voice. There was no way I wanted the western lord to hear about this.

"I don't know. I saw her laying there when I came in." Ryo said going to the door and looking out. "We have to find her before Sesshomaru comes back."

"Keep quiet about it." I said and followed him out of the room.

**~Kazuko~**

I was jerked back into consciousness as if I had been slammed down into my body. Considering the way I had been when I was last awake, dying of Naraku's wounds and poison, I was surprisingly pain free. I felt a little hungry and thirsty, but other wise I was fine. The only thing that worried me was that I wasn't sure where I was. As I sat up I saw Ryo and Katina in the room.

"I'm so happy to see you two." I said looking closer at the room I was in. I could sense that this was the western castle, just a room I hadn't been in before.

"Where did she go?" Katina shouted and I followed her gaze to look behind me and saw no one there. Who else was supposed to be in here? I watched as the two of them frantically searched the room.

"Who are you looking for?" I asked and neither of them paid me any attention. They left the room in a fuss and I shook my head. "Apparently this person is really important." I mumbled and got up not that concerned, they were good at what they did. The only thing I really wanted was to find Sesshomaru, and use the bathroom. As a matter of fact switch those. I definitely needed a bathroom first. I left the room and headed out, as I passed people I would wave and no one returned the gesture. They wouldn't even look in my direction. Even once I had used the bathroom and was asking people where Sesshomaru was no one responded.

I followed most of the fuss outside to see most of the western army lined up outside the gate. Sesshomaru was there talking to his general and some other soldiers. As I walked that way, I passed some of the weapon racks and something caught my eye. Or more like the absence of something caught my eye. I could not see my reflection in any of the weapons or shields. Summoning a puddle on the ground I couldn't see myself in it either. What was going on? Feeling myself want to panic I felt the breeze pushing me still towards where Sesshomaru was, as if gentle hands were nudging me. I followed it until I was standing beside Sesshomaru and placed a hand on his arm. He paused and looked down at me, his eyes widening. Even his general stepped back looking at me.

"You can see me right?" I asked, though his expression gave away that he could.

'_I figured he should be the first to see you.'_ I was pretty sure I heard Duma's voice say on the wind. Sesshomaru said nothing and for once I got the feeling it wasn't him being his usual silent way, but that he was actually speechless.

"Training exercise?" I questioned look around at all the soldiers.

"There was a roar from the east; it sounded close enough to be a threat." The general said.

"Oh that was Duma saying goodbye. There is no threat, I promise you." I said with a smile, watching with amused curiosity to see if Sesshomaru was going to manage to say something. "Well I'm hungry." I said after the silence persisted. "So you can find me with the cooks." I said with a laugh heading back into the castle, Sesshomaru still looked stunned and his general was looking to him for instructions on what to do.


	47. New Leadership

**Howdy!**

**Oooo! Another chapter within the month? What is going on? :)**

**I will say that the reviews are helping. Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing. I'd really love to get to 200 reviews before this story is over.  
><strong>

**So I know I said I wanted to make this 50 chapters and I have been wavering on whether or not that is going to happen, but I can now officially say that I'm not going to be able to condense it down to 50. I don't know if you guys like that or not? For now I'm looking at 55 chapters, definitely no more than 60.**

**That's it for this chapter, so I bring you the new chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

* * *

><p><strong>~New Leadership~<strong>

"Do you intend to keep my locked in here forever?" I demanded of dog demon behind me. To anyone who might have seen us it would have looked like a nice show of affection: he sitting and I on his lap with his arms wrapped around me. In reality it was torture. He was keeping me locked in place, refusing to let me leave the room, and I was only wearing myself out from struggling.

"No." He responded tentatively loosening his grip only to tightening it again when I tried to get up. "Just until you have pupped safely."

"That is twelve moons away!" I shouted. "You cannot keep me up here for a whole year." I growled trying harder to get out of the western lord's grasp. He let me struggle for a while before I felt his head lowering and I growled a little louder. "Sesshomaru! Don't you dare." I went from trying to get my body free to just trying to move by neck away from him. There wasn't really anywhere for me to go and as I felt fangs puncturing the skin just above my mating mark. Immediately my body began to relax and unwanted feelings began to arise in my lower regions, I tried my hardest to keep my mouth shut but as he bit down a little harder a low moan escaped and I felt him smirk against my skin.

Apparently being pregnant kicked my sex drive into top gear and Sesshomaru was using it as a way of keeping me in our room. Since we got back from the emergency council meeting, I had only been allowed to leave when the healers wanted to check on me to make sure everything was going okay. Which had been a total of five times, once a month. In five months I was going crazy from being stuck in here and there was no way I could see myself doing this for another year. No way.

"Don't you need to check-in with how the new eastern lord is doing?" I asked, receiving no answer, but instead another bite.

_My skin tingled as I entered the eastern castle with Sesshomaru. With Toro dead and his lack of any heirs a new lord needed to be decided upon before it turned into a free-for-all blood bath. An emergency meeting had been called of the demon council at the eastern castle to appoint the new lord. Everyone assembled in Toro's war room and most of the eastern lands were gathered outside the castle waiting for a decision. _

_Other than the council members there were also other two demons. They were the candidates for the title of lord. Each of them definitely had the aura that would be expected of a TaiYoukai, though not as strong as the other lords. Each were subjects of the eastern land, something I had learned was a requirement. There was a horse demon and a bear demon. They stood at the front of the room as the rest of the council took a seat._

"_Who is to lead this now that Duma is gone?" The northern lord asked. News had spread that Duma was no more and now the council seemed unsure of how to go on._

"_Perhaps you should." The southern lord said and I was surprised knowing how prideful panther demons were. "You are the longest ruling of the three of us." He added motioning to himself and then to Sesshomaru. "Do you have any objections?" He asked Sesshomaru._

"_Proceed." Sesshomaru responded._

"_Very well then. I do not see a need to give a long introduction. Everyone here knows why we have assembled so hastily." Di stated and when he was met with nods he continued. "These are the two candidates that have been presented. First is Katsou, presented by the eastern bear tribe." Di gave a motion to the bear demon and he stepped forward. _

"_I am honored to be considered for this position." He said with a bow towards the rest of the council. He was probably the same height as Sesshomaru. He had short black hair, interesting green eyes and an abundance of girth. Yet nothing about his aura was threatening, he seemed kind in a way that was unexplainable. "The east needs a leader that will lead not by strength and terror as Toro did, but by compassion and wisdom. I believe I am that leader."_

"_It is said that you have a _human_ for a mate." One of the members said though I didn't' get to see who. "Do you think that is appropriate for a lord?" I felt Sesshomaru tense beside me as a few glances turned in his direction and I could only imagine they were thinking of the dog general. _

"_I do." The bear demon said and appeared unfazed by the question._

_Di began speaking again before any other questions could be asked. "The next candidate is Rikuto, presented by the eastern horse clan."_

"_It is a pleasure to stand before you, and an honor to be considered to become one of you." The horse demon said stepping forward. He was closer to my height and had long blond hair. His eyes were dark brown, almost black. He was big, not as big as Katsou but still had quite a bit of size to him. "I believe that Toro was misguided but not completely wrong. Power is needed to maintain control and safety of all. Compassion is for humans and leads to death. I will uphold the honor of the position that is being a demon lord, as well be able to produce a strong _full-blooded_ heir."_

_I suppressed a shiver as Rikuto's last sentence got an overwhelming grumble of approval from most of the council members._

"_We will now discuss the candidates. Everyone is to leave but the three royal families." Di said and I was surprised to see everyone else leave. _

"_What's going on?" I whispered to Sesshomaru as the commotion of people sounded._

"_While the council is required to appoint a new lord, only the ruling lords vote on the candidates." He said back and I was about to ask why the ladies and children stayed when Sesshomaru answered. "They are allowed to consult with their families."_

_Once everyone else was gone Di spoke up. "Your thoughts on our two candidates?" _

"_The horse, Rikuto. He seems like a fitting choice. The bear is too soft and has a human mate. If he is to be lord that would mean the heir would be a half-demon, and if that half demon picks a human for a mate we could be looking at a _human_ as the eastern lord." The southern lord's son said getting a nod from his parents. _

"_I say we appoint Katsou." I said getting some surprised looks. If the lord's son could speak why couldn't I? "Him having a human as a mate would be an advantage."_

"_Is it surprising that the west is in favor of humans? Those dogs always seemed to be so drawn to them." The southern lord said aiming his words at Sesshomaru, who didn't physically respond but I could feel his agitation._

"_Your insults lack in originality." I snapped and continued before he could respond. "Think about it objectively for a moment before just jumping to a decision. Naraku, during his rampage, riled up the humans and they still have not quieted down. I know each of you are having problems with human uprisings in your lands." I said eyeing everyone in the room, including Sesshomaru. "They don't think that they are being taken seriously. If you appoint a lord with a human mate it will ease some of the tension and give the humans a false sense of voice." I hated sounding so cruel about this but something about Rikuto struck me wrong. "Then the humans will calm and most likely stop bothering us and instead bother the east. Once things have returned to normal, the council can simply put in place a new law barring a human from becoming a lord. Or we can hope that he takes a second mate that is full demon, it's not as if the human is going to live long by our standards." Even as I spoke I could feel my gut twisting as I felt sick with myself._

"_Impressive." The southern lady said looking at me with approval as if I had proven myself to be one of them, which only served to make me feel even worse._

"_It is a sound plan." Di commented with a nod. "The humans are becoming problematic. Katsou is young. By the time he would be stepping down at least three generations of humans will have passed and all of this nonsense of rebelling will be forgotten."_

_Neither Sesshomaru nor the southern lord said anything. I could feel Sesshomaru's surprise and suspicion as he watched me from the corner of his eye. The southern lord nodded as Di spoke and I felt relieved that Katsou would get the title._

"_I believe we are decided. So we shall vote." Di said and I watched the southern lady, heir and northern lady standing. I guess we were supposed to leave. I stood and followed them out of the room. Once we were out of the castle many of the clan leaders and Rikuto were upon us wanting any hints towards how the lords would vote. I stayed silent and went over to where Kouga was standing._

"_So you're the Kouga I've always heard so much about." I said and the wolf demon seemed startled that I had spoken to him. He gave a deep bow and I stopped him. "No need, any friend of Kagome is a friend of mine." I turned to face the wolf demon beside him and smiled. "This must be your mate, she is beautiful."_

"_Thank you." She blushed and I chatted with them for a while before a different type of wolf demon caught my attention. I excused myself and approached the eastern general._

"_Okay you avoided me at the training grounds and you haven't looked my way once during the meeting. What is going on with you? I thought we were friends." I demanded. Koru's eyes flickered around and for a moment I thought that he was going to bolt but eventually he gave a sigh and met my gaze. _

"_You fought well against Naraku." He said and I raised an eyebrow. Clearly that wasn't what was on his mind. "I heard you are expecting, congratulations." He said and as I watched a shadow pass over his features and sensed a change in his aura when he spoke, I began to understand what was wrong. The day back at the training grounds flashed to the front of my memory and I took a step back. I couldn't think of anything to say and as I mentally stutter to come up with something the doors to the castle opened, revealing the three lords._

"_Our decision has been made." Di stated and silence descended like a hammer on the crowd. "The new eastern lord will be Katsou." _

_A mixed reaction ran through the crowd. Most of the demons were surprised though some approving mumbles could be heard from them, apparently Katsou had already made quite the reputation for himself before now. A noticeable cheer could be heard from the few humans that had ventured out to see this. "He will be formally established as lord in a moon at this castle. I call this council dismissed."_

_I went over to Sesshomaru who was shaking hands with the new eastern lord along with the other lords. The bear demon was trying to stay composed but it was clear that he was filled with emotion and some of it spilled out into the grin he couldn't seem to keep hidden. His mate held her own as the many demons passed through, she didn't flinch or cower as they fixed her with analyzing eyes. I noticed during all the commotion that Rikuto had disappeared from the group without offering any kind of congratulations._

I growled at Sesshomaru as he removed himself from being on top of me. The room was coated in the scent of our mating, specifically his bonding scent. He smirked and pulled me to his chest.

"I still want to leave the room." I said my voice a bit hoarse. "You can't keep avoiding the conversation like this."

"I have thus far." He said amusement clear in his voice.

"I want to see my friends, and I have something I need to do at the Ryu-Inu village. I am still their leader. And I will go crazy if I have to stay in here." I argued. He didn't say anything and I gave a sigh but then an idea came to mind. "Can I at least have visitors? I'll stop asking to leave if you let my friends come here."

"No one but the royal family is to be on this level of the castle." Sesshomaru seemed to think about it and gave a sigh of his own. "Fine, you may have one visitor." He said and I rolled my eyes. It was okay though, I only needed one.

**~Shippo~**

"I don't know about this." I said to Kazuko as she told me her plan. Sesshomaru had left to check on news of how the new eastern lord was settling in.

"Please, Shippo. He won't let me leave here and I'm going to lose my mind. You don't have to do much, just keep him distracted long enough for me to get out of here." She said and I looked down to my fidgeting hands.

"Okay, but you have to promise he won't come after me for this." I gave in and she grabbed me for a hug.

"I promise, if this goes bad I'll take all of the blame." She said but mentally I still felt like this was not going to end well for me.

**~Sesshomaru~**

"Lord Sesshomaru." I turned to see my general running towards me barely keeping his composure though his aura read frantic. "The southern army has been seen advancing towards the castle from the east. They are in full gear and armed for a large battle."

How could the south think of doing something like this? That damn panther demon's head will be sent back to the southern castle on a pike. I felt my anger stirring and I forced myself to stay calm.

"Ready the army and have them on the move immediately. I will see what this is all about. Do not attack until I say to." I commanded and left the castle heading east.

**~Kazuko~**

I watched in worry as the western general approached me. A swirl of wind and smoke rose before revealing Shippo.

"Did he go for it?" I asked.

"He's headed east as we speak." Shippo said though he still looked somewhat spooked. My body slumped with relief but I had to move quickly. Sesshomaru would see through this trick quickly.

"Come on, we're headed to the village." I said covering my aura and scent then going to the balcony. Checking the surroundings I could feel Sesshomaru moving away, although his aura did read pissed off. I jumped from the balcony staying close to the side and waited a few breaths to see if Sesshomaru had posted some sort of guard. When no one came running I left the castle grounds through a back entrance Sesshomaru had shown me. Shippo was hard on my heels as we got out of range of the castle. Once we were far enough away I transformed into my smaller form, had Shippo jump on and sprinted for the Ryu-Inu village.

"Kazuko I really do not think this was a good idea. Sesshomaru is going to be pissed and worried when he gets back and you're not there." Shippo said from my back, though his words were slightly muffled from his face being buried in my fur to keep the wind off. I felt a little bad as he mentioned Sesshomaru. I knew the western lord was only doing what he did because he cared but this was not het way to show it. I uncovered my scent so he could follow it but didn't turn around or slow down.

'I'm not hurting myself or the pups and this will show him I can still live normally while pregnant.' I growled though I was surprised as I began to feel a little tired by the time the village came into view.

**~Sesshomaru~**

Something was wrong as I traveled east and still hadn't picked up any traces of the southern army or any one else that could be invading.

"General." I stopped as I spotted my general and some of the newer soldiers walking along the eastern border.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" He said clearly as surprised to see me as I was to see him. "I was showing these new recruits the border so they knew where to patrol and where the western law ended."

"Have you seen anything suspicious?"

"No, it has been very quiet. I suspect after the incident with Toro and Naraku things are going to be very calm along this border until everyone gets adjusted to the new lord." I gave a hard stare to my general as he talked and noticed something that confirmed that this was wrong. Here my general had a full beard; something he had began growing recently. The general that had approached me in the castle hadn't had any facial hair. As I searched his aura for a clue to what was going on I could tell that this was the real general, meaning the one in the castle had been a fake.

I didn't say anything else as I gathered my aura and sped back to the castle.

**~Ryo~**

"This is unexpected." Katina said to Kazuko. She and Shippo had shown up here a few minutes ago. I was a bit worried about how tired Kazuko looked but didn't say anything. We had been surprised when a royal messenger had come with a summons for the fox kit, but it seemed everything was fine.

"I know, I'm being held captive in my own home. Actually not even the entire home, just the one room." Kazuko responded, taking breaths in-between words. "But there is something important I need to do, and we need to do it quick before Sesshomaru realizes I'm gone."

"Wait, he doesn't know you're not in the western castle anymore?" I demanded looking around cautiously for a rampaging dog lord to show up.

"He does not so let's get this done quickly. Ryo, I need you to gather everyone in the village in front of castle. Katina I need you to find Masaru and Sage and tell them to meet me inside the castle." Kazuko ordered and stood heading for the Ryu-Inu castle. I gave Katina a confused and worried look but left to do as told anyway.

**~Kazuko~**

I sat waiting on Masaru or Sage to say anything as they looked at me. I had just explained to them what I was planning on doing. As the silence drew on I raised an eyebrow in question.

'I am surprised but I guess given the circumstances it is a wise decision.' Sage finally spoke up and I turned to Masaru.

'It has been centuries since anything like this has happened.' He growled.

"Then it's about time don't you think?" I offered a smile and gave each a hug. "Don't worry it's not like I'm turning my back on the clan. I would never do that."

'We know you wouldn't.' Sage said.

"Let's get this over with. I can't sense Sesshomaru but it's only a matter of time before he picks up the trail." I said then paused as I glanced over at a tapestry hanging from one of the walls. It was a swirl of the five elements with the Ryu-Inu clan's symbol in the middle, as I looked closer I realized it was just a big blanket. It was as large enough to cover four full grown adults. "I'm going to take that." I said pointing to it. "If that isn't a problem."

'You are still the leader, it is yours to do with as you please.' Masaru said. They helped me get it down and folded before we exited the castle to see everyone gathered. Many were chatting among themselves wondering what was going on.

"Hello everyone." I said, Masaru and Sage standing on either side of me, and the group fell silent. "Ryo and Katina can you come and join me?" I asked and both walked forward giving questioning looks that I returned with a smile. "Words cannot begin to describe how proud I am to see our clan growing from the wreckage that it once was." I paused as cheers rang out. "The Ryu-Inu clan is stronger than ever and will only continue to get stronger. But it does not make sense for you to be led by someone who does not live and work alongside you." Whispers began to rise.

"What are you doing?" Ryo whispered to be but I ignored him.

"All of you deserve a leader that knows each of you from seeing you every day. You need a leader who understands the problems you face because they face the same problems. You need a leader who can be reached immediately, not one who is half a day's travel away when going your absolute fastest. I am not abandoning the clan, this will always be my home and I hope that even after this I will still be welcomed here. But I cannot be that leader for you. I have lead you thus far to the best of my ability. Now it is time for another to lead." I removed my family's staff from my back. "There has been one among us who has always been meant to be leader in my eyes." I had to close my eyes to remember the right words that Sage had taught me to use for this. "I, Kazuko lady of the Ryu-Inu clan, hereby step down from my position as leader. In my place I propose the new lord of the Ryu-Inu clan to be general Ryo." Opening my eyes I couldn't help but smirk at Ryo's shocked expression.

'As advisor of the Ryu-Inu clan I approve this choice in leadership change.' Sage said offering a bow to myself then to Ryo.

'As leader of the Ryu-Inu guardians I approve this choice in leadership change.' Masaru said following Sage.

"Is there anyone here who would say that this appointment is ill-founded?" I asked looking to those gathered. Everyone was locked in a shocked silence and when no one said anything I turned back to Ryo. "Then I hereby pass leadership of the Ryu-Inu clan to Ryo. Do you accept general Ryo?"

Ryo gave a look over to Katina who couldn't have looked more proud as she nodded to him. "I do." He said.

"Take this staff, it has served the royal family for centuries and may it serve you as well." I handed the staff to Ryo and couldn't help myself. I broke protocol and embraced him. "I'm so proud of you." I whispered before gathering myself and turning back to the crowd. "Then I hereby present to you, the new lord and lady of the Ryu-Inu clan." I turned back to Ryo and Katina giving a bow to each of them. The crowd followed suit, everyone bowing to their new leaders.

"I am honored beyond words." Ryo said looking down at the staff in his hands. "I will do my best to be the leader you deserve."

'You must appoint a new general.' Masaru told Ryo.

"Iko, come forward." Ryo said and I recognized he was the oldest of the orphans turned Ryu-Inu members. "Though you still have much to learn, you show much promise. I appoint you the new general of the Ryu-Inus. And Kazuko, you will always be welcomed here." The crowd began to cheer as everyone came forward to offer congratulations to Ryo, Katina and Iko.

"Hey Sage." I motioned the guardian away from everyone else. "I have some questions about this pregnancy. Something doesn't feel right, not that I have ever been pregnant to know what it is supposed to feel like. But there are things that aren't matching up with what the healers are saying should be happening. Can you come by the castle and consult? I don't think any of them are familiar with Ryu-Inus."

'I had intended to come in about a moon's time, I had figured that this would happen.' He said with a nod. 'You should be fine until then. If anything happens, send someone for me.'

The village fell silent as a strong wave of demonic energy washed over. Most looked around ready to attack, and I sighed but couldn't help but smile as I felt the western lord now standing behind me.

"I'm not sure he's going to let me use the messengers for a while after this." I said refusing to acknowledge my mate who was giving a steady low growl behind me. "But I'll look for you in a moon." I finally turned around to see Sesshomaru's usually indifferent face pulled back in a mild snarl, though I could feel the relief in his aura. "Here, you can carry this back." I pushed the tapestry into his chest so that he had to grab it. I waved goodbye to everyone and headed out of the village back to the western castle.

The entire way back Sesshomaru never moved outside of three steps from me. I looked over my shoulder at him when the castle came into view. "Well today went well." I smiled as he gave another growl. "I'm glad you agree."


	48. Not Everyone's Parents Are Dead

**Howdy!**

**I know it has been a long, looooooong time since I updated and I am sorry. I have no excuse that is good enough so I won't bother using any. What is important is that the next chapter is here in this winding down of this story. But don't let that fool you, just because the story is winding down to the final chapters does not mean that the action is. I'm guessing that this story is going to be 55 chapters. Eventually it will be a trilogy so do not bum out too much at this one ending. **

**Thanks always for the reviews, I'd love to see if I could get up to 200 reviews by the end? Hmm is that a challenge? It's up for y'all to decide.**

**Without giving anything away, Sesshomaru's Mother appears in this story. She is referred to as such since I'm not entirely sure that she has a name in the series. I know there seems to be an accepted idea among the fan fiction circuit that her name is Inukumi, or something like that, but I can't find that anywhere in the series, perhaps she was named in the manga. If anyone knows differently I'd love to know, thanks. **

**Otherwise I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

* * *

><p><strong>~Not Everyone's Parents Are Dead~<strong>

'…aura is trying to recoup itself but cannot go with a speed that keeps up with the development-'

"Sage."

'-that will sustain the pups in this form and-'

"Sage."

'-You will need to insure that the you maintain a level of-'

"Sage!"

'Um, yes?'

"Speak plainly please. I have no idea what you are saying." I said after having to place my hands on either side of the guardian's head. He had a habit of looking off as he explained things.

'Sorry. Let me try again.' He said and I sat back as he gathered himself. 'You are pregnant.' He said and I nodded. 'Your aura is now split between sustaining you and developing the pups.'

"Okay, I'm with you on that. So that is why it takes less for me to feel tired."

He nodded. 'I'm sensing that more of your aura is being used for the pups than is usual at this point in the pregnancy.' He placed an ear against my stomach which was already showing. I looked like a human that was a few days away from delivering, even though I wasn't even at the half way mark for a demon yet. 'But I do not sense that there is anything wrong with the pups, which only leaves one thing. You are expecting multiple pups. It's not unheard of, but it is extremely rare.'

"Well yea. We already knew that right? The healers already explained it was abnormal for a dog demon of any kind to have only one pup." I didn't see how what Sage was saying was any different than what I already knew.

'Typically, dog demonesses have two or, in some rarer cases, three pups.' Again I nodded. That was what the healers had said. 'I'm saying that you're definitely having more than three.'

My eyes narrowed as I tried to make sense of what I had just been told. I heard the words just fine, but I couldn't figure out what they meant. Sage fell quiet as he stared at me, staring at him. I saw him shift as if he wasn't sure what I was going to do.

"More than three?" I echoed in question, still not grasping the meaning. "Like more than one, two, three?" I asked holding up a new finger with each number. He nodded and I squinted harder. It took a few minutes before I fully understood. "Oh damn, that's going to hurt isn't it?"

'It's not going to be easy.' Sage said with a nod. He moved in the room so that he was sitting directly next to me, and pressed really close. 'There is more.' As he spoke, one of his wings wrapped over and around my back, as if it were holding me up. 'I can sense that these pups are going to be born in their true forms. Again this is rare but not unheard of. Actually…" He added after a moment of thought. "…among Shogakkos it's pretty common.'

I looked over at him with a raised eyebrow, once again not grasping what he meant. But this time it hit me much harder and quicker. "Oh no." I whispered still looking at Sage. "No no no no no! I'll die trying to give birth to four giant dogs!" With each word my voice rose till I was shouting in panic by the end. Sage's attention drifted from mine and I followed his gaze to where Sesshomaru was now standing at the entrance of the healing room we were in. His eyes went from Sage to me.

'I'm glad that you're here Lord Sesshomaru. We need to discuss the new precautions you'll need to take given the circumstances.' Sage said as my mate walked over so that he was kneeling in front of where I was sitting. Out of the panic a thread of rage snaked through until it made it to the front of my emotions.

"You did this to me!" I growled pointing a clawed finger to Sesshomaru. He looked marginally startled but didn't react otherwise. "I'm going to die giving birth to your kids!" This time he snapped his attention back to Sage.

"What did you tell her?" He asked. His aura was reading worry, yet I could feel a bit of amusement underneath, which only made me angrier.

"So you think me dying is funny!" I snapped.

He didn't say anything as he continued to look to Sage. The guardian seemed uncomfortable but began to explain everything he had just told me.

"You will not die." Sesshomaru said once Sage had finished. "This is good." I couldn't say anything as I looked at him as if he'd gone crazy. "It is safer." I transferred my gaze to Sage as if he hadn't explained it correctly.

"How is me giving birth to four giant dogs like this, good? Hell I won't even be able to carry them to full. I'm damn near about to burst now!"

'You will be giving birth in your true form. I've never heard of a demoness dying or losing a pup when giving birth that way. It is safer.' Sage clarified. Now I turned my gaze on him with a stunned expression. They had to be playing some kind of prank on me, perhaps Sesshomaru was getting back at me for having tricked him.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

'Giving birth in your true form, means that all of your power is flowing and protecting you and the pups.'

"Okay, so let's say I do believe you, and for the record I don't. But let's say I do. So where is this supposed to happen? Having you in here is a bit tight. I hope you intend to have someone help deliver because I don't know what I'm doing. How are we all going to fit in here?"

'Katina will likely be helping you.' Sage answered dipping his head in thought.

"She's never delivered a baby has she?" I asked and he answered in the negative. "So how is she going to be able to help?"

'I've been teaching her the things she needs to know. I had suspected this could happen.' Sage said and I glared at him.

"You knew this could happen and you didn't tell me?"

Sage again looked uncomfortable and gazed out of the balcony, his ears perking up. 'I do believe I am being called. I will return to discuss more with the two of you when you have had time to discuss this with your mate.' He stood and went over to the balcony, gave a bow towards Sesshomaru then one towards me and left.

"Wait! My hearing is just as good as yours and I didn't hear anything." I shouted after him but he continued to fly off. My attention returned back to the western lord that was still kneeling before me and I gave a growl. "You're taking me to see Inuyasha and Kagome." I cut him off as he started to say something. "We both know I can get out of the castle. That has been proven. So we can either spend the next few months of me finding ways out and you having to completely neglect all of your responsibilities to try and keep me here. Or we can meet somewhere in the middle. I call this meeting in the middle." I glared at him and for a moment his aura flared before my aura flared as well, startling both of us. It acted on its own, I hadn't called it forward and it felt foreign. I recognized the majority of it as being mine, but underneath there was something off. It had a more feral, lethal tone that I didn't feel in control of.

"You have one day." He said and I smiled slightly. Most of what I had said was a bluff. The only ways out of the castle I could think of involved using Shippo again and I didn't want to do that to the kit.

"We leave in a week." I added.

**~Kagome~**

"What is that lady Kagome?" One of the village children asked as I treated a gash on her father's arm. She shivered slightly as strong demonic auras flooded through the village. Her father gazed around warily. They were only able to feel the auras because of the strength meaning they didn't possess the skills to pick out the auras.

"Do not worry. It is family of mine." I said and smiled. Who would have thought I would have ever referred to Sesshomaru as family. I finished bandaging the father and headed across the village to my home, assuring villagers as I went that there was nothing to worry about.

I entered my home to see Kazuko holding Takeshi and Inuyasha having a silent glaring contest with Sesshomaru. Kazuko acknowledged me before either of the brothers.

"Kagome! Good to see you." She stood and I couldn't help but gasp. Her belly was huge. I thought it took longer for demons to give birth; she looked as if she might pop at any minute and it had only been seven months. "Yea I know, I'm huge." She said as we embraced. "I have so much to tell you, but first how have you been? Takeshi is getting so big. It's hard to believe it's only been a few months since I've seen him and he's already this big."

"We've been doing fine." I answered taking a grip of one of Inuyasha's ears and pulled his attention away from Sesshomaru. "Without Naraku around to rile things up, it is peaceful here. I think the mixture of my spiritual energy and Inuyasha's aura keeps demons away. We had a small bandit problem a month ago, but that was easily handled."

"Have you heard from Sango or Miroku?" Kazuko asked.

"Not since the war. I think they're having to sort through the problem of the rouge slayers and the influence that Zaru had over the village. They've kicked him and his followers out but rumors are spreading that his group is terrorizing demons in the east." I said and I could feel Sesshomaru's interest even if he didn't show it. He must have been thinking about Rin. By now everyone knew about her encounter with Shippo, Ryo and Katina. "But let's not dwell on that when there are so many topics that we have to discuss in such a short time. How long are you staying for?"

**~Kazuko~**

"Until we catch up, there isn't a set time we have to be back." I could feel Sesshomaru seething behind me and I gave a small smile. He should have known better, but it was too late now. We were already here and he was not one to make a scene.

"You have to tell me what's going on with you." Kagome said with a shake of her head. "I can't wrap my head around how you're showing so much already." My smile widened at her disbelief and I explained to her everything that was going on. By the time I finished even Inuyasha's eyes were wide as he stared at me.

"How the hell are you going to give birth in your true form?" The half demon questioned and I realized he wasn't looking at me but past me to Sesshomaru.

"I have no idea. That's part of the reason I wanted to come see you guys." I said with a shrug. "Do you have any advice?" I looked to Kagome.

"I don't think she's going to be able to help you with this." Inuyasha said with a shake of his head.

"The human is not of use." Sesshomaru said, and I could feel the annoyance at having to admit that his brother was right.

"Have either of you given birth?" I questioned and received silence. "I know Kagome isn't going to be familiar with demon births, but at least she's given birth before. So unless you can find me a demon mother to talk to, this is the best I can think of."

No one said anything for a few minutes before an overwhelming aura pressed into the small hut suddenly. Kagome moved surprisingly fast in gathering her bow and arrow towards the unfamiliar demon that now stood in the doorframe. Inuyasha's Tessiaga was already out by the time I turned, shifting Takeshi into my left arm and drawing my sword with my right. Inuyasha glanced my way and I gave him a nod that ensured him that I would protect his son. Sesshomaru shifted slightly but didn't move to defend, his expression annoyed, almost bored.

"So this is the other son. I expected more." The demon, or rather demoness said as she stepped into the hut. I gasped at her appearance. She looked so much like Sesshomaru. I glanced at him then back at the demoness.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Inuyasha growled stepping forward.

"This is a first, my former mate's own fang bared at me." The demoness said and I lowered my sword slightly.

"Wait." I said standing, with some difficulty, and moving past Inuyasha. "Are you his mother?" I asked pointing to where Sesshomaru has been only to realize he wasn't there anymore.

"She is." Sesshomaru's voice came from my other side as I looked over my shoulder to see him standing beside me.

"Yours too now in a sense." The demoness said. "Though it is a shame that I had to find out from a third party that my only child is not only mated but soon to become a father."

I stood in stunned silence not sure what to say. I had always assumed that Sesshomaru's mother was dead like his father and Inuyasha's mother and just about everyone else's parents I had met here. She didn't live in the castle, but I guess she wasn't technically lady of the west anymore. My eyes widened as something clicked in my head and I couldn't help myself from smiling.

"This is perfect." I said a bit louder than I intended. Inuyasha and Kagome looked at me like I was crazy and I handed over Takeshi to his father. "She's a demon and a mother, exactly what I need."

"That is why I'm here. There are quite the rumors circulating about you." The demoness said coming over and circling me. It made my aura jump slightly, like it had before at Sesshomaru and I had to fight to suppress it. "Raised by humans?" She said and I watched Sesshomaru twitch slightly. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, it wasn't like she was lying and I had no doubt that just about everyone now knew that the lady of the west had been raised by humans. "It would seem humans are just destined to be bound to this bloodline. Anyway, you're going to need help and here I am." She said and again a look of annoyance covered Sesshomaru's features briefly then disappeared.

"Great." I said though I still got a weird feeling from her. Most of it was probably the expression she wore. It wasn't an actual smile, but almost like she started to smile, stopped in mid-expression then froze her face like that. I had asked for a demon mother, so there was no reason to get picky now.

"This closeness to so many humans is making my skin crawl. I'll let myself into the castle." The demoness said, though walked over to where Inuyasha was, earning a small growl from the half demon. "Now I can say I've seen his bastard other son and grandpup. Though I would have been perfectly fine dying without it." She left the hut and just as suddenly as her aura had appeared it was gone.

Kagome sighed and I noticed that she was lowering her bow, meaning she had kept it up and ready the entire time. Inuyasha was fuming though he looked to be trying to hold it in, looks like fatherhood had taught him some things.

"I thought he was bad enough." Inuyasha finally managed to grumble while motioning towards Sesshomaru.

"Your villagers approach. We will take our leave." Sesshomaru said, ignoring his brother's comment. I didn't bother to argue because I was anxious to meet with his mother and see what she had to offer.

"I don't know when I'll see you guys again but I'll try to keep in touch. Tell Sango and Miroku I said 'hello' when you get the chance." I waved to the two as I exited the hut with my mate.

"Oh and tell Shippo we said 'hello' as well!" Kagome shouted before we got too far away. I gave her another wave to acknowledge that I had heard her. The last I could see of them was several of the village men apprehensively approaching the couple, casting weary glances our way.

**~Sesshomaru~**

The arrival of my mother wasn't something I found particularly unpleasing but it was something I could have done without, especially with her having first found us at the half-breed's home five moons ago.

I couldn't deny that having her preoccupy Kazuko was a benefit so that I was not having to constantly be on alert for her disappearing again. Her discomfort at being around my mother was clear enough but had waned over the months.

"This will do. Prepare a group to investigate and clear the area." I reported to my general, circling a patch of stone caves on a map of my lands.

"Must I continually explain the futility of this?" My mother's voice caused some in the room to stiffen at having not sensed her coming.

"Go." I said and the room cleared of my general and advisors.

"Amazing, Lord Sesshomaru is the only one able to sense her presence." I heard one of the advisors say as they left. The truth was I couldn't and was just as in the dark as anyone to my mother's appearances. The difference was that after having grown up with her doing this, I had learned to control my responses to her sudden appearances.

"I find it tedious to repeat myself." My mother said and I turned though didn't say anything. "You cannot plan where your mate will choose to den. Even she won't be actually choosing her beast will and the two of you, will just have to go with it. I know that's hard for you, not being in control, but you'll get over it."

She was referring the fact that when a demoness gave birth in their true form they 'denned', picking a place to give birth and raise their young until they were old enough to change forms. I wasn't trying to pick a place for Kazuko to den, but ensuring that all places she could possibly choose were as comfortable and well-protected as possible. Hearing a ruffle of papers I looked over to see my mother going through the maps I had been using.

"So that's what you're doing." She said seeming to have figured out my plan. "You are forgetting something." She added with an amused tone that made me want to give a growl of frustration. When I said nothing, she rolled her eyes and explained. "These places are great for a dog demoness. Have you forgotten the blood of your mate? Ryu blood runs through her veins as well. I highly doubt they have the same denning habits as Inus."

This was not new information for me, but since the only ones who knew of Ryu-Inu denning habits were now dead, there was nothing I could do for that. Even the guardian that seemed to be a healer had informed me that guardians hadn't been allowed along for birthing, only the head mage and occasionally an assistant. Internally I struggled with the idea of sending an inquiry to the Ryu-Okami clan, but didn't want to make it known of my limited knowledge of the matter.

"I doubt that you have come here to point out what is already known." I stated to my mother wanting to end this exchange. "Is there something you want? I was under the impression that you were to be keeping my mate company not bothering myself." I added as no trace of Kazuko could be sensed. My advisors had informed me that it was typical of demonesses to hide their presence when nearing birthing so as to keep away enemies.

"Ah yes, now I remember why I was looking for you." My mother responded with an amused smile. "It would seem that Kazuko has gone into her denning, and I have lost track of your mate." The tone she spoke with was so airy and casual that I could only look at her for a moment before the force of what she had said closed in on me.

"What do you mean lost? Your whole purpose of being here was to keep up with Kazuko." I couldn't keep the snarl out of my voice as I felt an awakening of my beast.

"As I told you a countless number of times now, once she enters denning there isn't anything that can be done. She will keep herself hidden until she has found her den and then she will let those she chooses know where she is."

"What purpose are you here for?" I questioned outwardly constraining myself but inwardly seething. The whole point of allowing my mother to stay was so that she may keep with my mate during her pupping.

"When your mate has settled on a den, she will call to those she trust." My mother said as if she could not guess the anger I felt towards her at the moment. "At that time you will go to her and refuse to leave her side until the pups are able to come home. This could be anywhere from a few moons to over a year. What do you intend to do with ruling the west then?" My mother asked and with a sense of annoyance I realized where she was going, but she continued speaking anyway. "Lords of the past have had their lands and the castles overrun when their bonded mates having been given birth in their true forms. My presence here is not to care for your mate or your pups that is your job. I am here to maintain the order until you return." She gave another of her toying smiles before leaving the room with a huffing laugh.

I paced the maps looking but not seeing anything on their paper. Even though the advisors and healers had informed me of the way this process would work, it did not make any part of this easier. I tried to focus on Kazuko's aura to track her but it was as if she had disappeared completely from this realm. There were traces where she had been last, around the castle gardens but those traces were stale and growing colder with each passing second. The healers had explained that in this time a demoness no matter what her power level was able to completely hide their scents and aura as they searched out a safe place to give birth to their young. Once they had found the right place they would sent out their aura to those they trusted. I had heard the story of many lords, in matings of convenience or economics in which they hadn't bonded with their mate, which never knew where their mate gave birth. Instead they merely got word from someone, usually, the demoness' family, of the pups' health and gender and waited until their mate returned with them. A growl rose in my chest but I pushed it down and waited for the familiar tug of Kazuko's aura.

**~Sesshomaru's Mother~**

I watched my son barely maintain himself as he awaited a signal from his mate. A smile played firm on my features as I followed his steps from one side of the map table to another. Anyone who would have walked by might have thought he was simply reviewing the maps, but I knew better. I could have told him that I saw his mate head southwest by air. If I had done that, then I wouldn't have been able to enjoy watching him like this. I wasn't completely heartless though, I had sent a personal retainer of mine to follow her, a wind demon that even I couldn't detected when he so chose.

Despite my game I was truly happy for my son, a mother's pride warmed my heart. It was not at his attaining and so aptly ruling his father's lands, I had always expected and knew that was part of his fate. No, the thing that made me smile a true smile was that he had found what I had never thought he would. He found a reason to live other than a pointless pursuit of power.

I had lied to him. My real reason for coming the western castle was to see if the rumors had been true, that the Lord Sesshomaru, coldest demon ever to breathe, had found a mate and bonded to her. I doubt my son would agree but there was a noticeable change now in him. The Ryu-Inu was special, I couldn't deny that. Her power was perhaps equal to my son's and surpassed any other demon I had met. Her human upbringing gave her some interesting personality quirks but I had seen the royal ladies, my son could have done much worse.

A tug at my inner demon made the thing shift but otherwise stay neutral. Interesting that in the short amount of time that she had known me it appeared my son's mate felt comfortable enough to invite me to her den. I brushed off the call, knowing I was much more needed here than there. My son was gone, having disappeared before I felt the tug. It is going to be nice being back in charge of the castle for a while. Now where was that little green kappa? He seemed easily agitated.


	49. What is a Pack

**Howdy!**

**How is everyone? I know, I know. You've been waiting on this, right? Well wait no more. Just want to point out that this is drawing to an end. I have officially decided at 55 chapters, though even as we speak I revising so that it can be reprinted in it's original 50 chapter format. For now I hope you have enjoyed this story and will continue to like it. Not a lot of reviews on the previous chapter and it makes me wonder if you guys didn't like it? But thanks for the reviews that I do get. I really would like to make it to 200 by the end of the story and I know we can do it. :)**

**Anyway I bring you the next chapter of 'Where I Belong'.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

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><p><strong>~What is a Pack~<strong>

**~Ryo~**

Katina was trying to explain things as she, Shippo and I followed the pull of Kazuko's aura but it was a waste, I had no idea what she was saying. The only part of what she said that I understood was that Kazuko would be giving birth in some secret place and that she wanted her pack to be there for her. That was all I needed to know.

"How long until she gives birth?" I asked when Katina came to a pause. The expression on her face indicated that I must have interrupted some thought chain but I shrugged it off.

"She should be no more than two moons away." Katina responded then launched back into her explanations of why we were being summoned.

"Are we going to stay with her the entire time?" I wasn't sure if I felt comfortable staying away from the village for that long. Though Naraku and Toro were no longer a problem, I knew that other threats would eventually pop up from those who had been too cowardly to strike while greater powers were at play.

"I will, you can go back to the village. From what I understand of what Sage told me, the head mage and assistants would take turns staying with the mother until the birth so that someone could always be ready just in case. Since I'm the only one with any kind of training I'll have to stay the whole time." Katina seemed to sense my hesitation and added. "It's not like I'm going to be standing in the middle of a battlefield. Kazuko will be there, and we know that Sesshomaru is going to be there."

I still had my hesitations about the western lord, but even I couldn't deny that he was more than capable of providing protection.

"Fine, I'll search the area first, then when I'm satisfied I'll go back to the village. I will make trips back and forth with Shippo." I decided.

"Aren't we getting a bit close to the border?" Shippo asked. "Are demonesses allowed to cross borders for birthing?" The kit was right we were quickly approaching the southern border.

"I'm not sure." Katina answered as she too looked a bit uncomfortable at where we were headed.

I felt tug and stopped the other two doing the same. We could see the top of a mountain range past the forest and I felt Kazuko's aura coming from in that direction. "I guess that makes sense giving her Ryu blood. Dragons like stone and height. Though wouldn't that conflict with her Inu blood? Dogs prefer grass and dens."

"Let's see where she is, maybe she's found something in between." Katina said.

We neared the mountain range and I could tell that for sure that Kazuko's aura was coming from within the mountain. I neared the base and placed a hand against the stone and as I made contact the feel of Kazuko's aura intensified. "She's in the mountain?" I looked around and couldn't see any cave openings.

"I'm going to try calling to her with my aura. We don't want to go around shouting and draw attention to the place." Katina closed her eyes and I watched as she changed into her larger true form. She took to the sky going about halfway up the mountain. She pressed a paw to the mountain and it looked for a moment as if she were being sucked into the mountain. She pulled back and called down. 'I found it.'

I looked to Shippo and transformed, waiting for the kit to jump on and made my way up to where Katina was. Once I was beside her she flew at the wall of the cave. Before I could be alarmed at what she was doing, the stone seemed to melt around her then return to form once she was out of sight.

"Where did she go?" Shippo asked and I gave a shake of my head.

'Hold on I guess.' I growled and flew slowly to the side of the mountain. I felt as if I were going through a waterfall, as the stone became liquid like and I passed through. Once I was on the other side I turned to see that the stone was back to its solid state. I turned back forward to see that we were now in a huge cave. Water flowed from an unknown source through the middle of the cave from one end to the center where it pooled into a pond large enough to fit at least three of me in my larger form. The ground was covered in soft grass and the walls all of the mountain stone. Sunlight filtered in through cracks in the ceiling though none of them seemed big enough to fit anything larger than a snake. It accommodated us in our large forms, the ceiling high enough that I could open my wings fully and still not touch it. The size of the thing as a whole was large enough to fit a village or two, large villages. Off to the corner in a shaded area, almost out of view, was a grouping of rocks and as I felt Kazuko's aura coming from it I realized it must be a den.

Shippo jumped from my shoulder and transformed into his true form. He'd grown a little now standing about a third of my size. We caught up to Katina, who was half way to the den.

'Approach slowly.' Katina growled, as she turned to see us jogging towards her. We slowed and I could feel not only Kazuko's aura but Sesshomaru's as well. I held back a snarl, he was the father after all. Once we were outside the den by about a few steps Katina signaled for us to stop. 'Kazuko?' She whined into the den. A low growl was the response as Sesshomaru appeared in his full form at the entrance to the den. 'Lord Sesshomaru.' Katina responded with a bow. I gave a nod of the head as I stepped forward.

'We're just here to see Kazuko, she called us too.' I barked making it clear in my tone that even if it was his mate she was still part of our pack.

'Stop having a pissing contest and let them in Sesshomaru.' Kazuko's bark came from within the den. She sounded tired but still amused. At first Sesshomaru didn't move and I thought we might have to physically make him move. 'Sesshomaru!' Kazuko barked again and the western lord turned without a word and went back into the den. Katina filed in after him. I gave Shippo a look to which the kit shrugged and we followed Katina.

The inside of the den was dark, but once our eyes adjusted, I could make out that the den was like a smaller version of the cave. There wasn't any water but the ground was covered in what looked to be moss and grass and very soft under paw. With the five of us in the den it was a bit close but not suffocating.

Katina immediately went to Kazuko's side and began checking her over, the two of them soon became lost in conversation. I turned to Sesshomaru who was watching intently to his mate and mine.

'Is this yours?' I asked Sesshomaru. I couldn't think of any other way that this place could have been known by Kazuko or whatever spell being in her possession to allow access.

'It is not. I was not aware of this place until Kazuko's call.' Sesshomaru answered with a shake of the head.

'Sesshomaru?' Kazuko's whine instantly captured Sesshomaru's attention and he was at his mate's side in a blink. 'Will Inuyasha feel the tug? I know the others won't because they are human but what about him?' I could see Sesshomaru tense at the mention of his brother but he kept himself composed.

'His demon blood may feel it but it is not strong enough for him to know what it is or follow it.' He responded.

Katina came back to my side. She pressed against my shoulder and I gave her a quick lick over her muzzle.

'Kazuko is fine.' She barked. 'The pups seem to be settled now that she has denned. You can return to the village. She's going to want rest and there isn't much to be done now. Send Sira and Ayki, have Shippo escort them here when you get back to the village. They will be helping me.'

'They're not fully familiar with each other.' I barked motioning more to Sesshomaru than Kazuko.

'That's why I chose them. They are young females; Sesshomaru won't see them as a threat to his mate or his pups. He'll know they're here to help.' She responded with a rumble in her chest. 'Hurry before it gets dark. I don't want poor Shippo to have to try and find his way around in the dark, especially with us being so close to the border.'

'Come on Shippo.' I stood and left the den, the fox kit sharp on my heels.

**~Shippo~**

"Shippo! Wake up Shippo!" I was shaken awake by Iko, his red eyes reading excited. Slowly I rose and wiped the sleep out of my eyes. Looking past him I could see the first glimmers of sun shining far in the distance.

"We don't have training today, Iko." I yawned and tried to turn away from the new general.

"Ryo told me to get you! You have to get up now. Lady Kazuko's having her pups!" At this I jumped up, changed clothes and was out of the hut in an instant. I reached the Ryu-Inu castle in heartbeats to see Ryo giving orders to some of the guardians and older clan members, Sira was beside him looking anxious and excited. Everyone else looked equally as excited and around the village fires were lit in huts as news spread, awaking everyone. Before Ryo finished the entire village was standing around listening intently to him.

"We'll send news as soon as we have it. Are you ready to go Shippo?" He asked when he finished his eyes sparking. It was clear that he was trying to contain himself so not to appear any less a leader, but his aura spiked and flowed with a rush of anxiety. I couldn't find anything to say and nodded. "Great, let's go." He transformed and Sira quickly followed suit. I tried to transform but found that in my rush of emotions I couldn't concentrate enough to do so. Ryo gave me a reassuring nudge on the shoulder and I took a few deep breaths before being able to transform. With a nod telling them I was ready, Ryo took off leading the way to Kazuko's mountain. Behind us the sounds of excited howls and barks woke up those around us better than any roosters could have.

'How close is she?' Ryo barked at Sira as we ran.

'Lady Kazuko was just beginning to feel the pups' pushes.' She responded. 'Lady Katina said they would start arriving by sunrise.'

I looked towards the east and saw that sunrise was not far off now as we closed in on the mountain. I couldn't understand this feeling of excitement that coursed through me as I trailed behind the other two. It wasn't as if it was my mate having pups or even a blood relative of mine. Yet as I looked between Ryo and Sira, I knew that pack was about more than blood bonds. This was my pack and having new members was more than enough reason for the energy that kept my muscles from aching. Moments before we reached the base of the mountain, Ryo told me to change and jump on since I couldn't fly. My change was seamless as I hopped onto Ryo's back. We took off up the side of the mountain until we reached the point where we could pass through the stone. Once inside the cave, I changed back and followed at a light jog until we were near the den.

Sesshomaru was outside, in his true form, circling. He tensed and rounded on the three of us but relaxed once he recognized us. Ryo and I joined the western lord and Sira disappeared into the den. I perked my ears to see if I could hear the sounds of tiny life. So far all that I could pick up from the den was Kazuko's labored breathing and quiet instructions coming from Katina to Sira and Ayki. Ryo engaged Sesshomaru in small talk about what had happened while they gone and for once the usually stoic demon engaged back.

I let my paws take me over to the pond in the middle of the cave and glanced down into the water. It reflected back at me orange fur and red eyes with green slits. I looked over my shoulder at Sesshomaru's and Ryo's silver fur and felt out of place. I walked beside the water for a while taking in the shape of my body. It was lean and small as a fox's would be. I wished for the big powerful bodies that Ryo and Sesshomaru had but vowed to makes the best of what I had. I was most likely never going to be as big or muscular as them by virtue of me being a fox, but I could still be just as strong. I could be faster than them and with my small size I would be more nimble. That was what a pack was, I thought with a smile. It wasn't a group of identical doing the exact same thing. It was a collection of differences that worked together for the betterment of the group, each person used their individual strengths to contribute. My mind wandered to the time over a year ago of facing Rin in the forest. She had gotten so much stronger and she could be a great addition to the pack…

I had to let those thoughts trail away because I had heard what was becoming of her. She was off with that slayer, hunting demons and trying to rile up humans into a rebellion against demon rule. For now she was a threat to the pack not a member anymore. I lowered my head so that it submerged in the water, the cool water feeling great. I stayed that way for a minute or so before pulling up and shaking the water off.

As I walked back to join Sesshomaru and Ryo, Sira shot out of the den past me and the three of us watched her go. Sesshomaru made a move to follow but took a seat once he saw her retrieve some water from the pond and then dart back into the den. Ryo was questioning Sesshomaru about names when a deep, pained snarl came from the den. The three of us jumped to our paws and surrounded the mouth of the cave. Sesshomaru's claws dug deep into the ground and I guessed he was forcing himself to not go barreling in. Another deep snarl ending in a low whine came from the cave before it was replaced by another sound.

I inched forward just a little before a high pitched mix between a cry and a howl caused me to jump back. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't see into the cave to confirm what I thought but Ayki appeared at the mouth of the den making us step back to allow her room. Her silver fur rustled as we looked expectantly at her. The blue slits of her red eyes gaze at the three of us before she barked.

'The first is male. Full silver in fur like you my lord.' She informed before turning and disappearing again into the den.

I fell back into a sitting position and looked towards Sesshomaru. The western lord was still crouched at the mouth of the cave looking in, his ears perked forward slightly. He was so still that I wasn't entirely sure that he had heard Sira over his concern for his mate. I envied him for having someone to care about so deeply. Ryo moved beside the western lord and gave an amused huff.

'Stay as quiet as you like, but it doesn't change the fact that you're a father now.' He joked as he moved away from the den and took a seat. 'You're going to go stiff like that. Sage told us that she's expecting three more.'

Sesshomaru's eyes followed Ryo but he didn't move from the den. He let out a huff and returned to watching the den. The den fell silent and I wondered if something was wrong until I heard another low snarl come from Kazuko. Not knowing what to do with myself I found myself pacing around Ryo. He watched me for a while before extending a paw to push me of balance. I stumbled but managed to stay on my paws. I shot him an insincere glare and he shrugged.

'You're making me dizzy.' He barked and I changed to walking between the den and the pond. Kazuko gave another loud growl, this one laced with a few choice words. 'Those are the kind of things a pup should hear as their first words from their mother.' He growled in amusement. Another shriek, though not as high pitched as the first, announced the arrival of another pup. Ayki returned to the mouth of the cave, though she stumbled a bit not expecting the western lord to still be in the exact same spot waiting.

'Another male, silver with streaks of violet.' She informed and was then gone into the den's darkness.

After this Sesshomaru straightened but didn't move from his spot by the den. He glanced over towards us, more specifically at Ryo, as if expecting one of us to say something. I looked to Ryo who stretched and lay on his side, casting a look towards the western lord.

'I guess I have to consider you family now.' His temperament was surprising given his usual reaction towards the western lord. I guess it was because of the fact that new life was being brought into the world just a few feet away from us. They shared blood that ran through Ryo's and Sesshomaru's veins. These pups were the linking factor between the two males that I watched.

'What happens once the pups are born?' I asked trying to find something to talk about as we waited for news on the other pups. 'I've never heard of a demon giving birth in their true form before.'

'Katina says that they will stay here until they are ready to change forms, then they can be taken back to the western castle.' Ryo said with a shrug. 'I don't exactly have much knowledge in the area either.'

'It could take anywhere from a few moons to years for the pups to transform.' A new voice called out. Ryo jumped to his feet and snarled at the new comer. Sesshomaru's eyes glanced in the direction of the voice but seemed uninterested and returned to the den. I let out a snarl, more at myself than the new demoness. Her aura was so pressing now that I was looking for it, how could I have let her get this close without sensing her?

The demoness was smaller than Ryo and Sesshomaru and much leaner in build as she walked over. She held herself in a way that showed she was of noble upbringing. Her fur was a bright silver, so much so that it almost looked grey instead of white like the other dog demons. Her eyes were identical to Sesshomaru, though a bit lighter. As he scent carried to us my eyes widened, she must have been Sesshomaru's mother. I had heard snatches of conversation about her when I was very young but I had never seen her before. She made her way over to her son and stood beside him for a while looking at him with a bored expression. A twitch of the ear was the only thing that referenced that he knew she was beside him.

'What have I missed?' She asked unfazed by his indifference. When silence stretched out in response Ryo settled back down and answered for the silent lord.

'Two males. One with color like your son and the other silver streaked in violet.' He answered for the silent lord.

'Hm, let's hope they are livelier than my son.' The demoness said with an amused tone, earning a chuckle from Ryo. Kazuko's snarls sounded weaker this time and I was wondered if that was normal.

'Another male, silver with violet paws.' This time it was Sira that announced the new pup, then she disappeared back into the den.

I could feel my excitement rising and causing my muscles to twitch. There was one more and then we could see the new pups. Looking around I was pretty sure everyone else felt the same way. Ryo was now standing and pacing. Sesshomaru's mother was glancing expectantly at the entrance of the den, claws flexing. Even Sesshomaru had stood to his full height and now blocked the entrance to the den. He was most likely to push his way in once the last pup was announced. Kazuko's voice rose, this snarl almost as loud as the first.

Sira appeared at the den's entrance but could not step out because of Sesshomaru blocking her. She straightened herself before inching herself around him. 'Male, silver with violet underbelly.' She said and stepped to the side to let Sesshomaru through.

'Sesshomaru stay out!' Katina's barked and everyone froze as she spoke, her voice was somewhat tired but covered in either panic or excitement, I couldn't tell. 'Sira get back in here quickly, there is another one coming.'

'A fifth pup? Now that is unheard of.' Sesshomaru's mother said and her son turned towards her, his expression showing worry in a rare moment of visible emotion for the western lord.

Unlike the previous times, I could not here any sounds coming from Kazuko. There were no growls or snarls of pain or even a whimper. It was eerily quiet. Everyone outside of the den stood frozen in place, barely wanting to breathe as ears pricked trying to detect any kind of sound that might hint at what was going on inside the den. We stayed like that for minutes, though it felt like days and I could feel my muscles stiffening. I wanted to do something, anything would have been better than having to sit here and wait for news. I was learning multiple fighting techniques from Ryo and Sesshomaru had even allowed me to be in his army under a trial basis, training with others my age. But none of that was any good here. As I watched the others, especially Ryo and Sesshomaru, I could sense that they felt a similar sense of annoyance as I did.

Finally the loudest, highest-pitched wail I had ever heard ripped through the air jerking everyone out of their statue-like postures. A few more minute passed before movement could be seen at the entrance to the den. This time Sira and Ayki both appeared at the mouth of the den and exited, behind them Katina appeared looking tired but happy.

'The last, a daughter, violet with silver streaks. Congratulations Sesshomaru.' She whined ignoring formalities. 'Kazuko and all five pups are fine, tired, but fine. Come see your family.' She stepped aside and Sesshomaru disappeared into the cave in an instant. I made a move to follow by Katina blocked me. 'Let him have some time with his family, then we'll go in.'


End file.
